SHANA - Ali Akbar Moinfar, the first Minister of Petroleum of the Islamic Republic of Iran, died at 89 on Tuesday, January 02, 2018.

Born in 1928, he studied seismology in Japan and was a founding member of the Islamic Association of Engineers.

In September 1979, Moinfar was appointed Petroleum Minister in a cabinet reshuffle, becoming the first oil minister of Iran in September 1979, when the office was established.

He was also appointed chairman and managing director of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC).

Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh sent a message on Tuesday expressing his grief and condolences over Moeinfar's demise.