Mohammad Javad Zarif

Mohammad Javad Zarif, born on January 8, 1957, in Tehran, Iran, is an Iranian diplomat and academic who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2021. He was the chief architect of the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) and was widely respected as one of the most skilled diplomats in the world. Zarif studied at San Francisco State University and the University of Denver, earning a PhD in international law. He was Iran's ambassador to the United Nations from 2002 to 2007. His tenure as foreign minister saw the negotiation and implementation of the JCPOA and a brief thaw in US-Iran relations. After leaving office, he was appointed as Vice President for Strategic Affairs under President Pezeshkian.