In Iran, he attended San Louis French Parochial school, with his two brothers, Thoma and Shurik.
In 1959, at the age of 26, Ivan moved to Washington, D.C., and obtained work at the Berlitz School of Languages.
Political groups such as the Assyrian Universal Alliance and the Bet Nahrain Democratic Party were enthusiastic and supportive of Ivan's blueprint.
It was decided at that meeting that Ivan would be sent back to Washington to set up an office for the International Confederation of Assyrian Nation (ICAN).
On December 21, 2006, while vacationing in France, Ivan died surprisingly, despite not having too many health problems throughout his life.