During the inauguration ceremony which came one day ahead of Reporters’ Day in Iran, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif highlighted the role of media and media diplomacy as one of most important responsibilities at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During Zarif’s term as Foreign Minister since 2013, the Ministry has seen three spokespersons. Marzieh Afkham held the position since September 2013 until she was replaced by Hossein Jaberi Ansari in October 2015. Afkham was then appointed as the first Iranian female ambassador after the Islamic Revolution, while Jaberi Ansari left his previous position at the Foreign Ministry as the director general of the Middle East Department.
In June 2016, Mohammad Javad Zarif appointed a new FM spokesperson, Bahram Ghasemi, thus ending not-so-long incumbency of Mr. Hossein Jaberi Ansari who was relocated to assume the position of Deputy Minister for Arab and African Affairs to replace Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. Jaberi Ansari was also officially inaugurated as deputy FM for Arab-African Affairs today.
Ghasemi has been a veteran at the Foreign Ministry, having served as Iran’s ambassador to Republic of Ireland, Italy, and Spain, and as head of Second Political Division, First Commonwealth Division, Director-General of Western Europe Division, and also served as International Research Deputy in Strategic Research Center of the Expediency Council.
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