Wikipedia

Hamid Aboutalebi

Hamid Aboutalebi (Persian: حمید ابوطالبی, born 16 June 1957)[3] is a former Iranian diplomat and ambassador. Aboutalebi was previously ambassador of Iran to Australia, the European Union, Belgium, Italy, and a political director general to Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[4] He was part of Iran's UN delegation in New York City in the 1990s.

Hamid Aboutalebi
Political Advisor to the President of Iran[1]
In office
13 November 2017 – June 2020 [2]
PresidentHassan Rouhani
Deputy Chief of Staff for Political Affairs of the President of Iran[1]
In office
7 October 2013 – 13 November 2017
PresidentHassan Rouhani
Succeeded byMajid Takht-Ravanchi
Ambassador of Iran to Australia
In office
2003–2006
PresidentMohammad Khatami
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Preceded byGholamali Khoshroo
Succeeded byMahmoud Movahhedi
Ambassador of Iran to Belgium and the European Union
In office
1995–2000
PresidentAkbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Mohammad Khatami
Preceded byMohammad Reza Bakhtiari
Succeeded byAbolghassem Delfi
Ambassador of Iran to Italy
In office
1988–1992
PresidentAli Khamenei
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Preceded byGholamali Heydari Khajepour
Succeeded byMajid Hedayatzade
Personal details
Born (1957-06-16) 16 June 1957 (age 67)
Tehran, Iran
Alma materUniversity of Tehran
Sorbonne Nouvelle University
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Professional background

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Aboutalebi obtained his Ph.D. in historical sociology from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in 1999, after completing master's degrees in sociology (from Sorbonne Nouvelle University, Paris) and in the history of Islamic civilization and culture (from Tehran University). Aboutalebi also earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from Tehran University.[5]

His professional publications include Basic Challenges of U.S Foreign Policy towards Iran (2009),[6] Rocky Mountains of Nuclear Extremism (2009),[7] Turkey: Modern Diplomacy and New Ottoman Caliphate (2009),[8] and New Challenges of Iran Foreign Policy towards the U.S. (2010).[9] He published Anthropology of Ethics; First Volume of Philosophy of Social Ethics in 2013.[5]

Controversy

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It has been claimed[according to whom?] that Aboutalebi was one of the student radicals involved in the Iran hostage crisis, in which 52 Americans, including diplomats from the US embassy in Tehran, were held captive from 1979 to 1980.[10][11]

Aboutalebi denied participation in the takeover of the US embassy, emphasising that he was brought in to translate and negotiate following the occupation.[12][13] Aboutalebi was a student and member of the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, comprising students from several major science and technology universities of Tehran, which occupied the U.S. embassy in Tehran.[13] Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, a leading member of the core group who organized and led the embassy takeover, told BBC Persian that Aboutalebi's involvement was peripheral. "Calling him a hostage-taker is simply wrong", Asgharzadeh said.[12]

Due to the claims, Aboutalebi's appointment as ambassador to the UN was opposed by numerous U.S. lawmakers and diplomats, some of whom asked the US Department of State to deny his application for a visa.[14][15]

On 1 April 2014, in the United States Senate, Republican Senator Ted Cruz introduced Senate bill 2195, a bill that would allow the President of the United States to deny a visa to any ambassador to the United Nations who has been alleged to have been engaged in espionage activities or a terrorist activity against the United States or its allies, and may pose a threat to U.S. national security interests.[16] The bill was a reaction to Aboutalebi's selection as Iran's ambassador.[17] The bill passed the Senate on 7 April, and the United States House of Representatives on 10 April. President Barack Obama signed the bill on 18 April 2014.[citation needed]

Complicating the situation were the ongoing nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran.[18] Some[who?] have argued that denying Abutalebi's entry to the United States would violate the 1947 treaty agreement which was a prerequisite for the United Nations' agreement to locate their headquarters in New York City.[18] United States government never denied a visa for Aboutalebi. According to the New York Times: "By not explicitly rejecting the visa application, the White House appeared to be leaving Iran a way to resolve the standoff".[19]

Views

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He is claimed to be close to The Reformists and to the High Ranked Executives of Construction Party in terms of political bent.[20]

It is speculated [21] that his resignation from his office in June 2020 is related to his views about the principles of negotiation in foreign policy as suggested by a series of tweets [22] in his official Twitter account.

References

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  1. ^ a b Presidency of Iran
  2. ^ @DrAboutalebi (29 June 2020). "با سپاس فراوان، استعفای خود از سمتِ «مشاوررییس جمهور» را تقدیم ریاست محترم جمهوری کرده‌ام..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ^ "Hamid Aboutalebi, next Iranian UN ambassador". Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  4. ^ "Hamid Aboutalebi's positions". 7 October 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  5. ^ a b سوابق علمی و اجرایی معاون جدید سیاسی دفتر رئیس جمهور
  6. ^ "مرکز تحقیقات استراتژیک - مقالات - چالش‌های مبنایی سیاست خارجی جدید آمریکا درخصوص ایران". Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  7. ^ "مرکزتحقیقات استراتژیک- گزارش راهبردی - کوهستان‌های صعب‌العبور افراط گرایی هسته‌ای". Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  8. ^ "مرکزتحقیقات استراتژیک- گزارش راهبردی - ترکیه: دیپلماسی مدرن و خلافت نوین عثمانی". Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  9. ^ "مرکز تحقیقات استراتژیک - مقالات - چالشهای نوین سیاست خارجی ایران در رابطه با آمریکا". Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  10. ^ US Troubled by Iran's Choice of Its UN Ambassador, ABC News; accessed 14 April 2014.
  11. ^ Claims re Aboutalebi during Iran hostage crisis, thelede.blogs.nytimes.com; Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  12. ^ a b "US Senate bill would bar Iranian envoy Hamid Aboutalebi", BBC News, 8 April 2014
  13. ^ a b "Iran named Hamid Aboutalebi, Linked To 1979 Tehran US Embassy Takeover, As UN Ambassador", International Business Times, 29 March 2014
  14. ^ Iran's United Nations pick 'a slap in the face', says Sen. Graham, TheHill; Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  15. ^ Ted Cruz says proposed Iranian ambassador to U.N. was hostage-taker in 1979, cleveland.com; accessed 14 April 2014.
  16. ^ "S. 2195 - Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  17. ^ Marcos, Cristina (10 April 2014). "Congress approves bill banning Iran diplomat". The Hill. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  18. ^ a b Sink, Justin (9 April 2014). "Obama's nuclear dilemma". The Hill. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  19. ^ Iranian diplomat Hamid Aboutalebi denied visa, nytimes.com, 12 April 2014; Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  20. ^ "Inside President Rouhani's Immediate Circle and Possible Scrambling Scenarios", Iranian Diplomacy, 11 July 2017, retrieved 15 August 2017
  21. ^ فردا, رادیو. "حمید ابوطالبی از سمت مشاور رئیس‌جمهور استعفا داد". رادیو فردا.
  22. ^ @DrAboutalebi (26 June 2020). "اندر دفاع از"اصلِ مذاکره"تصویرموجوددرساحتِ سیاسی درمورد "اصل مذاکره"درسیاست خارجی،بر سه محوراستواراست:*عدم اعتق…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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