No major crises marked his ambassadorship, but its quiet effectiveness lay in institutional consolidation: arms agreements, oil diplomacy, and the groundwork for what would later become massive economic cooperation. Ansari emerged not merely as a diplomat but as an international broker—someone fluent in the language of power, finance, and strategic interest.
These American connections would later prove crucial after the 1979 Revolution, when Ansari, like many former officials, found himself suddenly stateless and dependent on international networks for survival.
Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance: Managing the Oil Age
On 18 July 1969, Ansari joined the cabinet of Amir Abbas Hoveida as Minister of Economic Affairs, overseeing industry and commerce. In May 1974, following a cabinet reorganization, the ministries of economy and finance were merged, and Ansari became Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance—a post he held for more than nine years.
