Late AIC Honorary Board Member, Professor Ruhi Ramazani

The American Iranian Council is deeply saddened to announce the passing of its Honorary Board Member, Professor Ruhi Ramazani. 

Dr. Ramazani joined AIC at its inception, first as a Board Member, and later becoming a member of our Honorary Board.  Dr. Ramazani was a strong advocate of improved relations between the United States and Iran and spoke passionately at many AIC conferences.  He is widely credited for being "The Dean" of Iran's foreign policy and for training numerous scholars and diplomats who have served the United States government, universities and private think tanks in the U.S. and throughout the world.  While clear-eyed about the challenges in overcoming years of animosity between the two nations, he was convinced that rapprochement between the U.S. and Iran was instrumental to resolving many of the Middle East’s outstanding regional issues.  

Throughout his life, Dr. Ramazani built a distinguished professional career. He served as the Edward R. Stettinius Professor of Government and Foreign Affairs at University of Virginia (UVA), founded the Middle East Studies program at UVA, and held positions at the Middle East Institute and The Middle East Journal.

AIC's entire organization, including our Board of Directors, Honorary Board Members, Advisory Council, and staff, all join the community of scholars in mourning the passing of this giant in the field. We salute him for his service to our organization and for his impressive work towards world peace. We also offer our most sincere condolences to Nesta, his wife, and his children and grandchildren. He will be truly missed.