Ali Akbar Velayati

Ali Akbar Velayati is one of Iran's longest-serving Foreign Policy figures. He served as Foreign Minister from 1981 to 1997, navigating the end of the Iran-Iraq War, the post-revolution international isolation period, and the early years of Iran's nuclear diplomacy. Since leaving the foreign ministry he has served as senior international affairs adviser to Supreme Leaders Ali Khamenei and, later, in an advisory capacity carrying significant informal weight in Tehran's Foreign Policy decision-making, alongside his seat on the Expediency Council.

Velayati trained as a paediatrician before entering politics and has remained a public intellectual as well as a political operator. He has represented Iranian positions at international forums and through media appearances, particularly on PressTV, where his statements are treated as reflecting establishment thinking rather than personal opinion. His longevity in Iranian Foreign Policy — spanning more than four decades — makes him one of the most reliable indicators of where the Supreme Leader's office stands on any given issue.

In the 2026 Iran conflict, Velayati told PressTV that the "resistance front views Bab al-Mandeb as it does Hormuz" — a statement interpreted by analysts as signalling that the dual-chokepoint scenario, which would cut approximately 25% of global seaborne energy supply, has the backing of Iran's senior establishment. The statement carried weight precisely because Velayati does not speak without coordination with the Supreme Leader's office.