Ali Asghar Soltanieh

Early life and education

Soltanieh was born in Tehran on 1 October 1950. He studied at Utah State University in the United States.

Career

Soltanieh is a nuclear physicist by training and worked as associate professor at faculties of science and international relations in various universities between 1988 and 1997. He taught courses in nuclear physics.

In the 1990s he was involved, as a nuclear physicist and senior diplomat, in the capacity of special envoy, delegate, chief negotiator, and invited speaker in numerous international events on disarmament and international security, such as NPT, CWC, BWC, CTBT, CCW, and has worked closely with the relevant international scientific and technical organizations such as UN, IAEA, OPCW, and other specialized international organizations such as WHO, ILO, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), QIC, WMO, TWAS and ICDO. He has published several papers in aforementioned areas.

For the three years immediately prior to taking up his position as the Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Soltanieh was the head of Iran's National Escort Team for IAEA Inspections; a member of delegation to the IAEA board of governors and general conference; and a member of the negotiating team, Iran-EU3/EU negotiation on nuclear energy.

On 27 August 2013, it was reported that Reza Najafi replaced Soltanieh as the Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.

Personal life

Soltanieh is married and has three children.