Ahmad Sobhani

Ahmad Sobhani (Persian: احمد سبحانی, born 1961 in Tehran) is a retired Iranian diplomat who previously served as Iran's ambassador to Venezuela (2001–06) and Gabon (1995–98), in addition to chargé d'affaires in Armenia (1993–94). He also served as the deputy foreign minister for European and American Affairs under Manouchehr Mottaki (2007–10).

Career

During the Iran–Iraq War, Sobhani was a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In 1987, he entered Iran's diplomatic service.{{cite web |title=چاوز گفت: "مورالس" برادر ماست به او کمک کن/ "اوو مورالس" از ایده رژه تراکتور استقبال کرد + فیلم مستند "احمد سبحانی" سفیر ایران در ونزوئلا (۸۵-۱۳۸۰) |url=http://navidesobh.ir/?p=32106 |publisher=Navid Sobh |date=16 November 2019}}

Between 1993 and 1994, Sobhani served as Iran's chargé d'affaires in Armenia.{{cite book |title=Directory of Iranian Officials, Volumes 7-22 |date=13 June 1991}} He later served as Iran's ambassador to Gabon between March 1995 and July 1998.{{cite web |title=Gabon FM Lauds OIC's Eighth Summit in Tehran |url=https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/5560/Gabon-FM-Lauds-OIC-s-Eighth-Summit-in-Tehran |publisher=Tehran Times |date=24 January 1998}} During this same period he was also the accredited ambassador to Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe and the Central African Republic.{{cite book |title=Directory of Iranian Officials: A Reference Aid, Volumes 7-22 |date=1998 |publisher=The Agency}}

In 1999 he returned to Iran where he served as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' director for citizenship and refugees affairs until 2001.{{cite web |title=Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme |url=https://www.unhcr.org/3cbd771e4.pdf |publisher=United Nations |date=8 October 1999}} Between October 2001 and September 2006, Sobhani served as Iran's ambassador to Venezuela, during which the two countries expanded their political, military and economic ties significantly. At that time he also served as the accredited ambassador to Guyana, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago.{{cite web |author1=Stephen Johnson |title=Iran's Influence in the Americas |url=https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/legacy_files/files/publication/120312__Johnson_Iran%27sInfluence_web.pdf |publisher=Center for Strategic and International Studies |date=March 2012}} Sobhani served as one of 54 international observers appointed by Venezuela's National Electoral Council during the 2005 Venezuelan parliamentary election.{{cite web |title=CONFIRMADA ASISTENCIA DE 54 OBSERVADORES INTERNACIONALES |url=http://www.cne.gob.ve/web/sala_prensa/noticia_detallada.php?id=1690 |website=Consejo Nacional Electoral |date=22 July 2005}}

Between 2007 and 2010, Sobhani served as deputy foreign minister for European and American affairs, replacing Saeed Jalili.{{cite web |title=سبحانی معاون اروپا آمریکای وزارت امور خارجه شد |url=https://fararu.com/fa/news/3182/%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%BE%D8%A7-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AC%D9%87-%D8%B4%D8%AF|publisher=Fararu.com |date=23 October 2007}} Later, between 2010 and 2013, he served as the director general for West Asia affairs.{{cite web |title=Tehran names 14 new ambassadors |url=https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/215566/Tehran-names-14-new-ambassadors |publisher=Tehran Times |date=8 March 2010}} He has since retired from diplomatic service.

Sobhani has publicly said that diplomats must be "wealth generators" for their countries.{{cite web |title=دیپلمات باید تولیدکننده ثروت برای کشورش باشد |url=http://irdiplomacy.ir/fa/news/1970692/%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%BE%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%84%DB%8C%D8%AF%DA%A9%D9%86%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%AB%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C-%DA%A9%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%B4-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B4%D8%AF |publisher=Iranian Diplomacy |date=9 August 2017}} Following his retirement he has served as a member of the leadership council of Alend Investment and Development Economic Cooperation Co., a company whose aim is to increase trade between Iran and Latin American countries.{{cite web |title=شرکت سرمایه گذاری و توسعه همکاری‌های اقتصادی الند |url=http://ghadiri.ir/post/1200#comment-ZKniTOAEwBc |website=Dr. Mohammad Hassan Ghadiri Abyaneh's personal website |date=15 July 2015}}

Personal life

Sobhani's brother Hassan Sobhani was killed in battle in 1984 during the Iran-Iraq War.{{cite web |title=FORMER IRANIAN AMBASSADOR TO GABON:-My Brother Missing Since Four Weeks Ago |url=https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/23574/FORMER-IRANIAN-AMBASSADOR-TO-GABON-My-Brother-Missing-Since |publisher=Tehran Times |date=13 December 1998}}

Sobhani's son Mohammad Javad "Sasha" Sobhani, born in 1988, has attracted international media attention as a result of his social media presence, which includes pictures of him living an extravagant and non-Islamic lifestyle in Europe.{{cite web |author1=Erin Cunningham |title=Crazy-rich Iranians face blowback at a time of sanctions and economic stress |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/crazy-rich-iranians-face-blowback-at-a-time-of-sanctions-and-economic-stress/2019/01/13/f45bc594-ffb6-11e8-a17e-162b712e8fc2_story.html |work=The Washington Post |date=14 January 2019}}{{cite web |title=Die Kinder der Revolution leben im Luxus |url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/iran-die-kinder-der-revolution-leben-im-luxus-a-1252615.html |publisher=Der Spiegel |date=11 February 2019}}{{cite web |title=Instagram posts by kids of Iran's political elite stir outrage |url=https://observers.france24.com/en/20180919-ferraris-pet-tigers-instagram-posts-kids-iran%E2%80%99-elite-touch-nerve |publisher=France 24 |date=19 September 2018}} In August 2018, Ahmad Sobhani told Iranian media that he had severed ties with Sasha. He said of their relationship: "He is my son, but in terms of lifestyle and beliefs, he differs from me, and all of my attempts to direct him to the right path failed."{{cite web |title=Yachts, fast cars and Instagram: Iran's rich kids enrage sanctions-hit citizens |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yachts-fast-cars-and-instagram-irans-rich-kids-enrage-sanctions-hit-citizens |publisher=Middle East Eye |date=12 December 2018}}

Sobhani's siblings, Hossein and Zahra Sobhani, are the owners of Avin Darou Co., an Iranian pharmaceutical import company founded in 2008.{{cite web |title=اوین دارو |url=https://rasm.io/company/10103588367/%D8%A7%D9%88%DB%8C%D9%86%20%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%88/ |publisher=rasm.io |access-date=28 December 2020}} The company has been criticised for being one of the largest recipients of foreign exchange from the Central Bank of Iran at the subsidized official exchange rate.{{cite web |title=با ۲۰ شرکتی که یک میلیارد یورو ارز دولتی در آن‌ها گم شده است، بیشتر آشنا شوید! |url=https://www.tabnak.ir/fa/news/914766/%D8%A8%D8%A7-%DB%B2%DB%B0-%D8%B4%D8%B1%DA%A9%D8%AA%DB%8C-%DA%A9%D9%87-%DB%8C%DA%A9-%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AF-%DB%8C%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%88-%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B2-%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%A2%D9%86%E2%80%8C%D9%87%D8%A7-%DA%AF%D9%85-%D8%B4%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D8%A8%DB%8C%D8%B4%D8%AA%D8%B1-%D8%A2%D8%B4%D9%86%D8%A7-%D8%B4%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%AF |publisher=Tabnak |date=29 July 2019}}{{cite web |title=ردپای "مافیای دارو" در فهرست دلار بگیران دولت ایران |url=https://iranopendata.org/pages/dollar-medicalcompanies |publisher=Iran Open Data |date=2019}}

Honours

60px Grand Cordon of the Order of the Liberator (6 September 2006, Venezuela){{cite web |title=Canciller dice relación es ejemplo de diálogo civilizaciones |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319173423/http://wvw.nacion.com/ln_ee/2006/septiembre/06/ultima-la16.html |publisher=Nacion.com |date=6 September 2006}}