Hossein Sheikholeslam

Hossein Sheikholeslam (Persian: حسین شیخ‌ الاسلام; 29 November 1952 – 5 March 2020) was an Iranian conservative politician and diplomat who was advisor to the foreign minister Javad Zarif.^[1][2] He also was a member of the Seventh Islamic Parliament of Iran^[3] and previously the Iranian ambassador to Syria.^[4]
Sheikholeslam was Assistant to the parliament Speaker Ali Larijani for the International Affairs. Sheikholeslam was one of the students/militants who held Americans hostage during the Iran hostage crisis.^[5]

Hossein Sheikholeslam
Hossein Sheikholeslam in 2020
Member of the Parliament of Iran
In office 28 May 2004 – 28 May 2008
Constituency	Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr
Majority	524,568 (26.60%)
Ambassador of Iran to Syria
In office July 1998 – 31 October 2003
President	Mohammad Khatami
Preceded by	Mohammad Hassan Akhtari
Succeeded by	Mohammad Reza Bagheri
Personal details
Born	29 November 1952 Isfahan, Imperial State of Iran
Died	5 March 2020(2020-03-05) (aged 67) Tehran, Iran
Cause of death	COVID-19
Political party	Islamic Society of Engineers
Other political affiliations	Voice of the Nation (2012, 2016) Principlists Pervasive Coalition (2008) Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran (2004) Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line (1979–1981)
Alma mater	Shahid Beheshti University University of California, Berkeley

Sheikholeslam died as a result of COVID-19 on 5 March 2020.^[6][7]

Political views

Israel

In 2014, Sheikholeslam stated that "the issue of Israel's destruction is important, no matter the method," and emphasized that Iran would "implement the strategy of the Imam Ruhollah Khomeini and the Leader [Ali Khamenei] on the issue of destroying the Zionists." Sheikholeslam warned that "the region will not be quiet so long as Israel exists in it."^[8]