Draft:Ali Akbar Velayati

Ali Akbar Velayati
Name	Ali Akbar Velayati
Other Names	{{{other_names}}}
Personal Details
Birth Place	Rustamabad village, Tehran, Iran
Brith Date	25 June 1945
Death Place	{{{death_place}}}
Death Date	{{{death_date}}}
Religion	Islam
Website	Ali Akbar Velayati's Website

Ali Akbar Velayati is a physician, researcher of Islamic civilisation history, politician, and diplomat of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He serves as the Advisor to Imam Khamenei in International Affairs, member of the Expediency Discernment Council since its establishment, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Islamic Azad University, and Secretary-General of the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran for 16 years from 1981 CE to 1997 CE, Head of the High Council of the Medical Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Deputy Minister of Health, among other roles.

Biography

Dr. Ali Akbar Velayati was born on 25 June 1945 CE, in one of the villages of Shemiran called Rustamabad.

Education

He spent his elementary and lower secondary school years in "Rustamabad", his birthplace, and completed his upper secondary education at Jam Gholhak High School, receiving his diploma in 1963 CE. In 1964 CE, he was admitted to the medical field at the University of Tehran and completed his general medicine degree in 1971 CE. Immediately after, he participated in the residency exam in paediatrics and graduated from the University of Tehran with a speciality in paediatrics in 1974 CE. He then completed his subspecialty in infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University in the America. He has also received three honorary doctorates from universities in Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Tajikistan.

Political Activities

Due to his father's interest in politics, Velayati became familiar with political conditions and subsequently turned to political affairs. On various occasions during high school, protesting the Shah's policies, he invited his classmates to close classes and demonstrate, and for this reason, he was interrogated multiple times by the regional SAVAK, and a file was opened for him at the Tehran SAVAK at the age of 17. At the same age of 17, in 1962 CE, he became a member of the Second National Front and, along with Martyr Lavasani, Martyr Labafi Nezhad, Dr. Motamedi, Dr. Jazayeri, and Dr. Khademi, revived the Islamic Society of Physicians, which had been suspended after Dr. Sheybani, and established regular contacts with various political groups and the clergy following Imam Khomeini (peace be upon him).

Career and Responsibilities

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, he was Deputy Minister of Health for a while and was present in the first term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly from 1980 CE to 1981 CE. From 1981 CE to 1997 CE, in the governments of Ayatollah Khamenei and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs for 16 years. Since 1997 CE, he has been the Advisor to Imam Khamenei in International Affairs. Additionally, heading the Strategic Research Centre of the Expediency Discernment Council, membership in the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, and Secretary-General of the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening are among his records. In 2013 CE, he participated in the presidential election. He was also appointed as the Chairman of the Founding Board of Islamic Azad University by the Supreme Leader in December 2016 CE. His records include:

• Advisor to the Supreme Leader in International Affairs from 1997 CE to present;
• Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran from December 1981 CE to June 1997 CE;
• Member of the Expediency Discernment Council from its establishment to present;
• Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Islamic Azad University;
• Member of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution since 1989 CE;
• Secretary-General of the World Assembly of Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them) from 2000 CE to October 2002 CE;
• Representative of Tehran in the first term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly;
• Deputy Minister of Health;
• Professor of History of Iran's Foreign Relations at the School of International Relations affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
• Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences;
• Head of the High Council of the Medical Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran;
• Member of the Board of Directors of the Tehran Medical Council from 25 September 1991 CE;
• Member of the Supreme Policy-making Council of the Encyclopedia of the Holy Defence;
• Permanent Member elected by the Academy of Medical Sciences of Iran since 1990 CE;
• Member of the Board of Trustees of the Islamic Encyclopedia Foundation for 3 terms;
• Member of the Board of Trustees of Tehran University of Medical Sciences;
• Member of the Board of Trustees of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences;
• Member of the Supreme Council of the National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases;
• Head of the Editorial Board of the Journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran Medical Association;
• Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Iranian Society of Infectious and Tropical Diseases Specialists;
• Head of the Central Council of the Islamic Society of Physicians of Iran;
• Head of the Contemporary Islam Group of the Islamic Encyclopedia Foundation;
• Head of the Educational Research Treatment Centre for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases.

Scientific Activities

Velayati holds a significant position in terms of academic and scientific rank and is a Distinguished Professor at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, a Permanent Member of the Academy of Medical Sciences, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD), and the International Society for the History of Medicine, and is engaged in teaching in several academic fields. He also serves as the Head of Masih Daneshvari Hospital. Over many years, he has been recognized as a political, scientific, cultural, and literary figure and has received numerous medals and awards, including the following:

• Peace Medal from Italy;
• Gold Medal of Zmaj od Bosne (ZMAJ OD BOSNE) from Bosnia and Herzegovina;
• Certificate of Appreciation from the Islamic Vocational Training Institute, Dhaka, from Bangladesh;
• "CII" Appreciation Letter from the President of the Confederation of Industries of India;
• First Class Medal of Knowledge and Research from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services;
• Enduring Figure in Pediatrics in 2005 (CE);
• Peace Medal of Tajikistan;
• Selected in the Medical Section of the International Avicenna Wisdom Festival in Hamadan;
• Selected Member of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Iran to receive the First Class Medal of Knowledge from the President in 2009 (CE);
• Top Researcher in the Field of Culture and Civilization of Islam and Iran, receiving the Allameh Tabataba'i Award for Distinguished Professors and Researchers of the Country from the National Elite Foundation.

Since 1992 (CE), he has been a Permanent Member of the Examination and Evaluation Board for the Subspecialty of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, and during his years of teaching and research, he has published 89 articles in reputable domestic journals, 136 articles in reputable international journals, with an h-index of 15, in the Scopus database, and presented 20 articles at international congresses. He is the author of 150 books in the fields of traditional medicine, infectious diseases, history, culture and civilization of Islam and Iran, and foreign policy. Some of his works include:

• Dynamics of the Culture and Civilization of Islam and Iran;
• Iran and the Palestine Issue;
• Iran and Developments in Palestine;
• The Historical Crisis of Iranian Identity;
• The Intellectual Introduction to the Constitutional Movement;
• History of Iran's Foreign Relations during the Reign of Shah Abbas I Safavi;
• History of Iran's Foreign Relations during the Reign of Shah Ismail Safavi;
• Political History of the Imposed War of Iraq against the Islamic Republic;
• History of Iran's Foreign Relations during the Era of Naser al-Din Shah and Mozaffar al-Din Shah;
• Tuberculosis;
• Infectious Diseases in collaboration with Dr. Ismail Saebi, Dr. Minoo Mohraz, and Dr. Alireza Yalda;
• Fundamentals of Tuberculosis.

See also

• Iran
• University of Tehran
• Islamic Consultative Assembly
• Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution
• Expediency Discernment Council

References

• Ali Akbar Velayati Website, Publication date: n.d., Access date: 8 Farvardin 1404 SH (28 March 2025 CE).

• Biography: Ali Akbar Velayati, Hamshahri Institute Website, Publication date: 15 Mordad 1387 SH (5 August 2008 CE), Access date: 8 Farvardin 1404 SH (28 March 2025 CE).

Biography of Ali Akbar Velayati, Jamaran News and Information Website, Publication date: n.d., Access date: 8 Farvardin 1404 SH (28 March 2025 CE).