Abdulali Ali-Asgari ( fa, عبدالعلی علی‌عسگری; born 1958 in

Ray Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (g ...

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

, Iran) is the current

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Corporation.He is also an Iranian media executive who was the former director-general of

IRIB The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB; fa, صدا و سيمای جمهوری اسلامی ايران, ''Sedā va Sīmā-ye Jomhūri-ye Eslāmi-ye Īrān'', , formerly called National Iranian Radio and Television until the Iranian rev ...

. Ali-Asgari, who was previously a deputy at IRIB in charge of technology and a professor at the

Iran Broadcasting University The Iran Broadcasting University ( fa, دانشگاه صدا و سیما, ''Dāneshgāh-e Sedā va Simā'') formerly known as the Iran Broadcasting College ( fa, دانشکده صدا و سیما, ''Dāneshkade-ye Sedā va Simā'') is a public uni ...

, was appointed as IRIB's director-general on 11 May 2016 after previous head

Mohammad Sarafraz Mohammad Sarafraz ( fa, محمد سرافراز) is an Iranian media executive who was head of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) from 2014 until his resignation in 2016. He was the 6th Director-General of the IRIB and succeeded Ezatol ...

resigned from office. He has been referred to as "the father of digital television in Iran" for his work on converting the organization from analog to digital. He is uncle of

Hamidreza Aliasgari Hamidreza Aliasgari ( fa, حمیدرضا علی‌عسگری, born 25 May 1990) is an Iranian football midfielder. His uncle is Abdulali Ali-Asgari. In 2022, Aliasgari was arrested during the Mahsa Amini protests by the Islamic Republic of Iran ...

Career

Before the

1979 Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

, Ali-Asgari was a follower of Ayatollah

Ruhollah Khomeini Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...

, founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He was arrested for his political activities by the previous government's secret police and was in prison until the final days of the revolution. He held important posts within the Islamic Republic after the revolution, including adviser for the

Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution The Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution (SCCR; fa, شورای عالی انقلاب فرهنگی, shoraye a'ali enqelabe farhangi) is a conservative-dominated body based in Qom, set up at the time of Ayatollah Khomeini. Its decisions can ...

and heading the IRIB college. When

was appointed as head of IRIB in November 2014, Ali-Asgari was reportedly on the short list of potential candidates. Ali-Asgari immediately clashed with Sarafraz, and according to Iranian media, was either let go or resigned. The head of Iran's judiciary, Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, appointed Ali-Asgari as an adviser. Ali-Asgari was appointed as IRIB head on 11 May 2016, after days of speculation. He will be taking over an institution that has faced numerous challenges and scandals. According to ''

Donya-e-Eqtesad ''Donya-e-Eqtesad'' ( fa, دنیای اقتصاد meaning "the World of Economics" in Persian) is an Iranian daily newspaper and book publisher. History and profile ''Donya-e-Eqtesad'' was founded in October 2002, and it has been published and ci ...

'' newspaper, some of the controversies include the removal and hiring of new managers who clashed with the old guard and the closure of provincial stations that led to a number of layoffs. The previous IRIB head, Ezatollah Zarghami, held the position from 2004 to 2014, leaving an indelible mark on the organization and the makeup of its staff. Some disagreements and fights became so severe, according to ''Donya-e-Eqtesad'', that the security institutions of the country reportedly became involved.Head of Iran TV resigns after just 18 months
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali-Asgari, Abdulali 1958 births Living people University of Tehran alumni Amirkabir University of Technology alumni Iran University of Science and Technology alumni People from Tehran Iranian broadcasters Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization politicians Iranian individuals subject to the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctions