Saleh Adibi (Persian: صالح ادیبی) is an Iranian academic and diplomat who has served as the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam since September 2015 and as a non‑resident ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia. He is noted as the first ethnic Kurdish and the first Sunni Muslim to hold an ambassadorial position in Iran’s modern diplomatic corps.
Early life and education
Adibi was born in 1963 or 1964 in Sanandaj, the capital of Iran’s Kurdistan Province. He pursued higher education at the University of Tehran, where he obtained his degree in an unspecified field of study.
Academic career
Following his graduation, Adibi became a member of the academic staff at the Islamic Azad University, contributing to higher‑education activities in Iran. Specific details of his scholarly work and academic positions are not extensively documented in publicly available sources.
Diplomatic career
In September 2015, President Hassan Rouhani appointed Adibi as Iran’s extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador to Vietnam. Concurrently, he was accredited as a non‑resident ambassador to Cambodia, representing Iranian interests in both countries. His appointment was highlighted in Iranian and international media as a historic milestone, marking the first time a Sunni Muslim and an ethnic Kurd had been appointed to an ambassadorial role in Iran.
Significance
Adibi’s diplomatic posting has been interpreted as a symbolic gesture of Iran’s acknowledgment of its religious and ethnic diversity, particularly the inclusion of the Sunni minority and Kurdish community within senior state positions.
References
- “Heavily Shiite Iran names its first Sunni ambassador.” Cambodia Tribune, 3 September 2015.
- “First ever Sunni diplomat named Iran ambassador to Hanoi.” IRNA, 16 September 2015.
- Wikipedia contributors. “Saleh Adibi.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 18 April 2026.
Note: Information is drawn from publicly available encyclopedic and news sources. No unverified claims are included.