Esmail Baghaei

Early career (2001–2010)

Baghaei began his career in 2001 as a legal officer at Iran's General Directorate for International Legal Affairs, within the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.^[2] He was responsible for following up on international legal issues related to terrorism, crime, and criminal justice.^{[citation needed]}

Baghaei left for New York City in 2006 as legal adviser in the Permanent Mission of Iran to the UN.^[2] During his tenure (2006–2010), he was also the Iranian representative on the UN General Assembly Sixth Committee^[2][4] of the West Asia region. He was also responsible for coordinating the Legal Committee of the Non-Aligned Movement during this time.^{[citation needed]}

Iran Ministry of Foreign Affairs roles in Iran and Geneva (2010–2024)

Returning to Iran, he was appointed head of the Division for Treaties and International Law within Foreign Affairs. He held the position until 2015, when he was appointed senior adviser to Iran's top negotiator for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.^[2][4]

Baghaei was appointed as Iran's ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN Office in Geneva, as well as other international organisations there, from 2018^[2] until 2022.^[4] He attended the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in 2021.

After returning to Tehran, he continued to serve at the Foreign Ministry as an advisor and assistant to the Foreign Minister of Iran,^[2] then Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.^{[citation needed]}

Spokesperson for Iran Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2024–present)

On 2 October 2024, foreign minister of Iran Abbas Araghchi appointed Baghaei as the spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.^[1][4] He succeeded Nasser Kanaani.^[4]

At Christmas 2024, he tweeted congratulations to all the Christians of the world on the birth of Jesus and the beginning of the new year.^[5]

In January 2026, he said that Iran had full confidence in its defensive capabilities in a war, warned that Iran would launch a "regret‑inducing response” if it were attacked, and alluded to Iran's “heroic battle”–his description of the Twelve-Day War in June 2025.^[6] On 10 February 2026, he warned that if Iran were attacked by the United States and Israel, Iran would respond with crushing force.^[7]

On 28 February 2026, after it was reported—correctly —that Israeli airstrikes had killed Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Baghaei falsely asserted to the press that Khamenei was "safe and sound".^[8]

On 19 March 2026, during the 2026 Iran war, Baghaei was interviewed by Sarah Ferguson on the Australian ABC Television current affairs program 7.30. In the interview, he accused the United States and Israel of "terrorist acts" for assassinating Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei and other top figures in Iran in what he called an "illegal war" against the country. He also said that Australia's military assets in the Gulf were legitimate targets for Iran to attack in self-defence, without regard to whether they were offensive or defensive Australian military assets, after the Australian Government had deployed a surveillance aircraft along with personnel and defensive air-to-air missiles to the United Arab Emirates. Commenting on the defection of some of the Iran women's national football team members to Australia during the 2026 Asia Cup, he claimed that the players were taken hostage by Australia.^[9][10][11]

After the successful April 2026 U.S. rescue operation in Iran, in which the U.S. military rescued two crew members of an F-15E Strike Eagle who had been shot down over Iran by Iranian forces during the 2026 Iran war, Baghaei claimed that the rescue operation had been “a disaster” for the United States.^[12]