Farhad Sepahbody (August 20, 1929 – April 6, 2014) was an Iranian exile and career

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

. He served as the

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

of Iran to Morocco from 1976 until 1979. Sepahbody was born in Geneva,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, on August 20, 1929. He had two sisters. His father, Anushiravan Sepahbody, was an Iranian diplomat. Farhad Sepahbody was a descendant of Prince Abbas Mirza (1798–1833), a

Qajar dynasty The Qajar dynasty (; fa, دودمان قاجار ', az, Qacarlar ) was an IranianAbbas Amanat, ''The Pivot of the Universe: Nasir Al-Din Shah Qajar and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831–1896'', I. B. Tauris, pp 2–3 royal dynasty of Turkic peoples ...

crown prince, through his father's lineage. His mother was also from a prominent Iranian family. Farhad Sepahbody lived with his parents in

, Italy, Russia, France, Spain, Turkey, and Egypt as a child, due to his father's diplomatic postings. The Sepahbody family was posted in Paris during the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

in World War II. The family fled Paris shortly before Nazi German forces occupied the city. They escaped to Spain before returning to Iran during the war. Farhad Sepahbody studied at the University of Paris in 1949 and the

Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings and ...

at Georgetown University. He also received a bachelor's degree in economics from New York University in 1953. He spoke fluent Persian, English, and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

. He entered the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

as a diplomat in 1955. He was posted to Iranian embassies and diplomatic missions to Switzerland, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the United Nations during his career. Sepahbody served as the Ambassador of Iran to Morocco from 1976 until 1979, when the

Iranian 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 ...

took place. Sepahbody was posted as Ambassador when Shah

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , title = Shahanshah Aryamehr Bozorg Arteshtaran , image = File:Shah_fullsize.jpg , caption = Shah in 1973 , succession = Shah of Iran , reign = 16 September 1941 – 11 February 1979 , coronation = 26 October ...

arrived in Morocco from

Aswan, Egypt Aswan (, also ; ar, أسوان, ʾAswān ; cop, Ⲥⲟⲩⲁⲛ ) is a city in Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the Aswan Governorate. Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the Aswan Dam on the east bank of the ...

, just once week after he was overthrown and fled the country during the revolution. Ambassador Farhad Sepahbody resigned from the Iranian Foreign Ministry jin 1979 shortly after the execution of his cousin, former Prime Minister Amir-Abbas Hoveyda. He moved to New York City, with his wife, Angela Sepahbody, and their children. Sepahbody later helped the deposed Shah record his

memoirs A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...

while the latter was living in exile in Mexico. Sepahbody became a press consultant for the United Nations at its

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

in New York City. He also worked as a journalist and diplomatic correspondent for ''Imapress, Paris'' from 1985 to 2003. In 2000, he was one of the founding members of the

International Qajar Studies Association The International Qajar Studies Association (IQSA) is an association specialised in the study of the Qajar Era and the Qajar dynasty. The association organises conferences, study days, lectures, cultural events and exhibitions, publishes books, a J ...

. Additionally, He Sepahbody managed Farah Pahlavi's official website until his death in 2014. Sepahbody was diagnosed with a brain tumor in the early 1990s and given just one year to live. He and his wife moved to an Arizona ranch in 1992, shortly after his diagnosis, where they lived for more than twenty years. Farhad Sepahbody died at his home in

Sedona, Arizona Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 10,031. It is within the Coconino National Fo ...

, on April 6, 2014, at the age of 85. He was survived by his wife and son, Dr. Cyrus Sepahbody.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sepahbody, Farhad 1929 births 2014 deaths Ambassadors of Iran to Morocco Iranian diplomats Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United States Iranian emigrants to the United States New York University alumni University of Paris alumni People from Sedona, Arizona Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni 20th-century Iranian people 21st-century Iranian people