Hossein Kazempour Ardebili (Persian: حسین کاظمپور اردبیلی, also spelled Hoseyn Kazempur-Ardabili[1] or similar variations, 1952 – 16 May 2020) was an Iranian diplomat and politician, serving as Iran's representative to OPEC from 1995 to 2008 and again from 2013 to his death in 2020.
[5] 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.
[2] After returning from Japan he initially became an adviser to the foreign minister,[1] 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 including Mohammad Khatami and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
[2][8] He helped improve the Islamic Republic's negotiating position in OPEC and played a role in the recovery of its oil industry during the lifting of sanctions following the nuclear deal in 2015.
[2] 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.
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.
"[2] Arne Walther, former secretary general of the International Energy Forum describes him as having a "poker face" and having mastered "the art of bureaucratic mischief".
[2] Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described him as a "strong defender of national interests ... and candid advisor to the Islamic Republic's officials".