Ali Asghar Soltanieh

Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh is an Iranian nuclear scientist and distinguished multilateral diplomat with more than four decades of experience in international security, nuclear diplomacy, non-proliferation and disarmament.

He served twice as Iran’s Resident Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, from 1982 to 1987 and from 2006 to 2013. He also represented Iran as Ambassador to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva and Vienna. His diplomatic career included leading negotiations on the Biological Weapons Convention Protocol and participating extensively in Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty conferences.

Ambassador Soltanieh has chaired and represented international bodies including the IAEA, UNIDO, UNODC, the G77 and the Non-Aligned Movement. Since retiring from government service in 2016, he has worked as a senior evaluation consultant and lectured at universities and research institutions across Europe, the Middle East, Russia and the United States.

He is the President of the Vienna International Institute for Middle East Studies.