Ex-Iran foreign minister Ebrahim Yazdi dies at 85
In this May 14, 2005, file photo, Ebrahim Yazdi, once Iran's Foreign Minister, waves as he arrives at the Interior Ministry, to register as a presidential candidate, in Tehran, Iran. Credit: AP / Vahid Salemi
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s official IRNA news agency says one of the country’s most influential dissident politicians who once served as foreign minister, Ebrahim Yazdi, has died. He was 85.
Monday’s report said Yazdi died in Izmir, Turkey, due to complications from cancer. He was a close ally of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the late leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Yazdi’s party, the Freedom Movement of Iran, was part of the revolution but later turned against the clerics as they consolidated power and crushed dissent. He was purged from office in early 1980s; he served as foreign minister in 1979 and a lawmaker until 1983.
He was frequently sentenced to prison over security charges. He supported moderate President Hassan Rouhani.
Yazdi was in Izmir for medical treatment after being denied a U.S. visa.
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