Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, 60, died in a helicopter crash on Sunday, May 19, 2024. The crash also killed Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi.
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Amirabdollahian was a hard-liner closely aligned with the Revolutionary Guard. He was known for confronting the West while overseeing indirect talks with the U.S. over Iran’s nuclear program.
He represented the hard-line shift in Iran after the U.S. withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018.
Amirabdollahian served under President Ebrahim Raisi and supported policies of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
He was involved in efforts to improve relations with Saudi Arabia in 2023, though tensions later rose due to the Israel-Hamas war.
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Amirabdollahian praised Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2020. He previously worked in the Foreign Ministry under Ali Akbar Salehi from 2011 to 2013 and under Mohammad Javad Zarif, a key figure in the nuclear deal under President Hassan Rouhani.
As foreign minister from 2021, Amirabdollahian supported the government during mass protests in 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini, who was detained for allegedly not wearing a hijab properly.
The crackdown on protests led to over 500 deaths and more than 22,000 detentions. The UN found Iran responsible for the violence leading to Amini’s death.
During the Israel-Hamas war, Amirabdollahian met with foreign officials and Hamas leaders, threatened retaliation against Israel, and praised attacks on Israel.
He managed diplomatic relations during a brief exchange of airstrikes with Pakistan and engaged with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Amirabdollahian is survived by his wife and two children.
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