Biography
Hossein Kazempour Ardebili was born in Tehran in 1952. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from what is now the Allameh Tabataba'i University in 1974 and an MBA from the Oklahoma State University before the start of theCareer
To cover his expenses during his studies in the U.S. he worked as a pizza delivery man. He was Iran's Commerce Minister in 1981 under Prime Minister Mohammad-Ali Rajai, when he was wounded in a bomb attack against the Islamic Republican Party headquarters. He related that the attack initially left him unable to walk and caused hearing loss. He had to go to Switzerland for treatment. During the international isolation against Iran in the early phase of Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988), he unsuccessfully lobbied Western governments to sell weapons to Iran. According to him, he had to sell Iranian oil to India at a low price of $10/barrel. At various times during the 1980s, he served as deputy foreign minister and deputy oil minister under Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi. He served as the Iranian ambassador to Japan between March 1990 and December 1994. A Japanese police investigation in 2000 accused him of having been involved in exports of parts of antitank rocket launchers to Iran, violating Japanese restrictions against exports of weapons to Iran since 1967. According to the accusation, Kazempour and another employee of the embassy signed checks for Sun Beam, the Japanese company making the delivery. The former leaders of the (now-bankrupt) company pleaded guilty in March 2000, while the Iranian embassy at the time denied involvement and said that the sale was unauthorised. Kazempour was not charged because of diplomatic immunity, and afterwards refused to comment on the subject. After returning from Japan he initially became an adviser to the foreign minister, and was subsequently appointed Iran's representative to Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) between 1995 and 2008, serving under presidents of various political sides includingDeath
On 5 March 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic, he missed an OPEC extraordinary meeting that resulted in a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia. He stayed home because his preexisting heart problems put him at a higher health risk if he were to travel. He was hospitalized in Tehran in early May due to a brain haemorrhage, and fell into coma. He died on 16 May at the hospital. His funeral was held on May 17 in Tehran, and the ceremony was attended by both Oil Minister Zangeneh and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. A few days later, OPEC headquarters held a special condolence ceremony over his death, attended by the Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo.Evaluation
According to Bloomberg News, he was an "ultimate OPEC negotiator" who "defended Iran's oil interests through war and sanctions." The news agency's report on his death describes him as "a constant" in the world's oil diplomacy, and was a "stubborn negotiator" in OPEC's meetings, especially during clashes with Iran's rival Saudi Arabia. In 2008, Kazempour told the '' Hamshahri'' newspaper that, "If Iran has had success in the international energy sector, I have been one of the main agents of this success." Arne Walther, former secretary general of theReferences
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kazempour Ardebili, Hossein 2020 deaths 1952 births Politicians from Tehran Ambassadors of Iran to Japan Allameh Tabataba'i University alumni Oklahoma State University alumni Government ministers of Iran Iranian diplomats Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran