Minister of Foreign Affairs (Iran)

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran
وزیر امور خارجه ایران
Logo of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
since 21 August 2024
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
NominatorThe president
AppointerIranian Parliament
FormationOctober 1821 (original)
1 April 1979 (current form)
First holderNeshat Esfahani
Websitewww.mfa.gov.ir

The minister of foreign affairs of Iran (Persian: وزیر امور خارجه ایران, romanizedVazir Amor Kharjeh Iran) is the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran and a member of the Cabinet. The office is currently held by Abbas Araghchi since 2024.

Duties

Functions of Minister have largely been moved to Supreme Leader's Supreme Strategic Council for foreign relations.[1]

List of ministers

Qajar Iran

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office
Took office Left office Duration
1 Mirza Abdolvahab Khan Mo'tamed od-Dowleh Neshat
(1759–1829)
1821 1823 1–2 years
2 Mirza Abolhassan Khan Ilchi
(1776–1845)
1823 1834 10–11 years
3 Mirza Ali Farahani 1834 1835 0–1 years
4 Mirza Mas'ud Khan Ansari 1835 1838 2–3 years
5 Mirza Abolhassan Khan Ilchi
(1776–1845)
1838 1845 6–7 years
Haji Mirza Aqasi
(c. 1783–1849)
Acting
1845 1846 0–1 years
6 Mirza Mas'ud Khan Ansari 1846 1849 2–3 years
Amir Kabir
(1807–1851)
Acting
1849 1851 1–2 years
7 Mirza Mohammad-Ali Khan Shirazi
(c. 1780–1852)
18 July 1851 9 February 1852 206 days
8 Mirza Saeed Khan Ansari
(1816–1884)
1853 1873 19–20 years
9 Mirza Hosein Khan Sepahsalar
(1828–1881)
11 December 1873 1880 7–8 years
10 Mirza Saeed Khan Ansari
(1816–1884)
1880 1884 3–4 years
11 Mirza Mahmoud Khan Naser al Molk 1884 1886 1–2 years
12 Mirza Yahya Khan Moshir od-Dowleh
(1832–1892)
5 February 1886 1 August 1887 1 year, 177 days
13 Mirza Abbas Khan Qavam od-Dowleh 1887 29 June 1896 8–9 years
14 Mirza Mohsen Khan Moshir od-Dowleh 1896 1899 2–3 years
15 Mirza Nasrullah Khan
(1840–1907)
1899 1906 6–7 years
16 Mohammad-Ali Ala ol-Saltaneh
(1829–1918)
1906 15 September 1907 0–1 years
17 Javad Sad od-Dowleh 1907 1907 0 years
18 Hussein Kuli Khan Nawab
(1864–1946)
1910 1911 0–1 years
...

Pahlavi Iran

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office
Took office Left office Duration
1 Nosrat-ed-Dowleh
(1889–1937)
1 October 1925 1 October 1938 13 years
2 Ali Soheili
(1895–1958)
1 October 1938 7 March 1939 157 days
3 Mozaffar Alam
(1882–1973)
7 March 1939 20 April 1943 4 years, 44 days
4 Hossein Ala'
(1881–1964)
25 April 1943 2 March 1945 1 year, 311 days
5 Mahmoud Salehi 2 March 1945 2 May 1945 61 days
6 Mohsen Rais
(1895–1975)
2 May 1945 4 May 1945 2 days
7 Bagher Kazemi
(1892–1977)
4 May 1945 7 April 1946 338 days
8 Hossein Navab
(1897–1972)
7 April 1946 13 January 1950 3 years, 281 days
9 Ali Akbar Siassi
(1896–1990)
13 January 1950 24 February 1950 42 days
10 Hossein Navab
(1897–1972)
24 February 1950 28 April 1951 1 year, 63 days
11 Bagher Kazemi
(1892–1977)
28 April 1951 16 July 1952 1 year, 79 days
12 Hossein Navab
(1897–1972)
21 July 1952 16 September 1952 57 days
13 Hossein Fatemi
(1917–1954)
16 September 1952 19 August 1953 337 days
14 Abdol-Hossein Meftah 23 August 1953 20 September 1953 28 days
15 Abdollah Entezam
(1895–1983)
20 September 1953 25 December 1955 2 years, 96 days
16 Aligholi Ardalan
(1900–1986)
25 December 1955 10 May 1958 2 years, 136 days
17 Ali-Asghar Hekmat
(1892–1980)
10 May 1958 11 June 1959 1 year, 32 days
18 Jalal Abdoh
(1906–1996)
13 June 1959 3 August 1959 51 days
19 Abbas Aram
(1906–1985)
3 August 1959 29 August 1960 1 year, 26 days
20 Yadallah Adhdi 31 August 1960 21 February 1961 174 days
Hossein Ghods-Nakhai
(1894–1977)
Acting
11 March 1961 31 March 1962 1 year, 20 days
21 Abbas Aram
(1906–1985)
1 April 1962 12 January 1967 4 years, 286 days
22 Ardeshir Zahedi
(1928–2021)
12 January 1967 12 September 1971 4 years, 243 days
23 Abbas Ali Khalatbari
(1912–1979)
13 September 1971 16 September 1978 7 years, 3 days
24 Amir Khosrow Afshar
(1919–1999)
16 September 1978 6 January 1979 112 days
25 Ahmad Mirfendereski
(1918–2004)
6 January 1979 11 February 1979 36 days

Islamic Republic of Iran

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Government
Took office Left office Duration
1
Karim Sanjabi
(1904–1995)
11 February 19791 April 197949 daysNFInterim Government
Mehdi Bazargan
(1907–1995)
Acting
1 April 197912 April 197911 daysFMIInterim Government
2
Ebrahim Yazdi
(1931–2017)
12 April 197912 November 1979214 daysFMIInterim Government
Abolhassan Banisadr
(1933–2021)
Acting
12 November 197929 November 197917 daysIndependentInterim Government
3
Sadegh Ghotbzadeh
(1936–1982)
29 November 19793 August 1980248 daysIndependentInterim Government
Karim Khodapanahi
(born 1944)
Acting
3 August 198011 March 1981220 daysFMIRajai
Mohammad-Ali Rajai
(1933–1981)
Acting
11 March 198115 August 1981157 daysIRPRajai
4
Mir-Hossein Mousavi
(born 1942)
15 August 198115 December 1981122 daysIRPRajai
Bahonar
Interim Government
Mousavi I
5
Ali Akbar Velayati
(born 1945)
15 December 198120 August 199715 years, 248 daysIRP
IAPI
ICP
Mousavi I–II
Rafsanjani I–II
6
Kamal Kharazi
(born 1944)
20 August 199724 August 20058 years, 4 daysIndependentKhatami I–II
7
Manouchehr Mottaki
(born 1953)
24 August 200513 December 20105 years, 111 daysFFLILAhmadinejad III
Ali Akbar Salehi
(born 1949)
Acting
13 December 201030 January 201148 daysIndependentAhmadinejad II
8
Ali Akbar Salehi
(born 1949)
30 January 201115 August 20132 years, 197 daysIndependentAhmadinejad II
9
Mohammad Javad Zarif
(born 1960)
15 August 201325 August 20218 years, 10 daysIndependentRouhani III
10
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian
(1964–2024)
25 August 202119 May 20242 years, 268 daysIndependentRaisi
Ali Bagheri
(born 1967)
Acting
20 May 202421 August 202493 daysIndependentInterim Government
11
Abbas Araghchi
(born 1960)
21 August 2024Incumbent1 year, 212 daysIndependentPezeshkian

Timeline since 1979

See also

References

  • Media related to Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Iran at Wikimedia Commons