Ali Bagheri, Iran’s seasoned nuclear negotiator and a fierce opponent of the West, was named interim foreign minister on Monday to succeed the president and senior diplomat who died in a helicopter crash.
Bagheri, 56, was the deputy of the Islamic republic’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who was killed in the crash along with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and seven other people.
Bagheri is seen as being connected to the ultraconservatives in Iran and a part of the inner circle of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who happens to be Bagheri’s brother’s father-in-law.
Those who interacted with the negotiator with the salt-and-pepper beard knew him for his measured demeanor, which frequently contrasted sharply with his unyielding position.
“Every time foreigners intervene, under any pretext… their presence interferes with the security and stability of the region,” Bagheri once said.
The new acting foreign minister has long experience with Iran’s nuclear dossier — the flashpoint issue that has pitted Tehran against major powers and arch foe Israel, who suspect it is seeking the atomic bomb.
