Ardeshir Zahedi, former Iranian foreign minister, ambassador to Washington during the monarchy and son-in-law of the Shah passed away in exile on Thursday.

Zahedi who lived in Switzerland was 93 years old and was born into a powerful family in 1928 in Tehran. His father, Fazlollah Zahedi, was a general who served as prime minister and played an instrumental role during political upheaval in Iran in 1953 when he led a military coup that brought Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi back to power.

Zahedi who attended an American School in Beirut continued his education in Utah State University and graduated as an agricultural engineer. After returning to Iran, he became a senior official in the Point Four assistance program launched by US President Harry S. Truman in 1949.

Zahedi served as ambassador in Washington from 1960-1962 and again from 1973 until the 1979 revolution. He was foreign minister from 1966-1971.

In the final years of his life Zahedi adopted controversial positions, including his praise for Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani who was killed by a US drone attack in Baghdad in January 2020, ordered by former president Donald Trump.