In 1966, Ansari was summoned back to Tehran and appointed Minister of Information and Tourism following the resignation of Hassan Pakravan. Though brief, this appointment was significant. The ministry oversaw domestic and international media, cultural presentation, and tourism promotion—fields central to the Shah’s desire to reshape Iran’s global image.
During his tenure, Ansari emphasized Iran’s presentation as a modern, stable, investment-friendly country. Tourism, he believed, was not merely economic but symbolic: a way to insert Iran into the global imagination as both ancient and progressive. Yet his time in the ministry was short. Within a year, he was reassigned to one of the most important diplomatic posts in Iran’s foreign service.
