Bagheri Kani named Iran’s acting top diplomat after foreign minister’s death

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani has been appointed as acting top diplomat following the death of Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash in northwestern Iran.

Government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi said Kani will be heading the foreign ministry on an interim basis.

He said the decision was taken in an extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet on Monday.

Kani, who has served as the deputy foreign minister for political affairs since 2021 and the lead nuclear negotiator, will hold the position until new elections are held in 50 days, as per the country’s law.

During this time, a council comprising the first vice president himself, speaker of the parliament, and the chief of the judiciary will make arrangements for holding new elections.

Kani is a low-profile figure who shot to prominence during the marathon negotiations between Iran and Western countries in the Austrian city of Vienna aimed at salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal.

Jahromi said the Cabinet decided that the best way to pay tribute to President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian is to “continue on the path” of the two slain leaders.

Mohammad Mokhber, who chaired the Cabinet meeting in his capacity as interim president, has created six executive committees since Sunday to manage the affairs of the government, Jahromi said.

During Monday’s meeting, he said all these committees presented their reports.

Separately, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has declared five days of national mourning over the passing of the country’s president and foreign minister.

He hailed the services of the duo, saying they tirelessly worked for Iran.