Ali Bagheri Kani Appointed as Iran's Acting Foreign Minister after Abdollahian's Death

Following the demise Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, deputy foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani has been appointed the acting minister by the Iranian cabinet. Kani assumed the role of deputy foreign minister in September 2021. Additionally, Kani also held the position of deputy secretary within Iran's supreme national security council from 2007 to 2013. Meanwhile, Iran has declared five days of mourning following the death of their top leader

New Delhi:Following the death of Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash on Sunday, the Iran government on May 20 appointed former Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani as the caretaker of Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The shocking demise of the Iranian President and the Foreign Minister has raised eyeballs in the global community. Countries from all across the world have expressed profound grief over the demise of the two leaders. The Iranian President's demise comes at a fraught moment in the Middle East, just weeks after Iran launched a drone and missile attack on Israel in retaliation to the attack on its consulate in Damascus.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian died in a helicopter crash in the northwestern province of East Azarbaijan. The helicopter carrying President Raeisi and his accompanying delegation crashed on Sunday in the Dizmar forest, in East Azarbaijan Province.

Who is Ali Bagheri Kani?

Ali Bagheri Kani is an Iranian diplomat, who served as the deputy foreign minister of Iran. He's been involved in various diplomatic negotiations, particularly regarding Iran's foreign policy, including its nuclear programme. He was the Deputy Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council from 2007 to 2013 and is currently an advisor at the council.

He was also chairman of Saeed Jalili's presidential campaign in the 2013 presidential election. He is the son of Mohammad-Bagher Bagheri, a former member of the Assembly of Experts and also nephew of Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani. He has been a diplomat since 1990.

Kani was the lead negotiator in the mediation between Iran and the United States in the September 2023 prisoner release deal. Kani has been the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs since 20 May 2024, after the death of Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.