Simon Shercliff CMG OBE
Biography
Simon Shercliff was appointed as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Iran in August 2021. Previously he was Director for National Security at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) from February 2018. He also served as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Yemen from February 2017 until February 2018.
After graduating from Cambridge University in 1995, Simon worked for 2 years as a volunteer Chemistry teacher in a Government School in Tanzania. He then returned to the UK to join the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1998.
His first posting was as a political officer in the British Embassy, Tehran, for 3 years from 2000. On leaving Iran in 2003, he spent a short period in FCO in London before deploying to Baghdad as the Private Secretary to Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Iraq. He was awarded the OBE for his work in Iraq.
He returned to London in 2004 to the FCO Press Office, as a spokesman for Iran and Iraq issues. After a year, he became the Chief Press Officer, then the Foreign Secretary’s Press Secretary. He arrived in Washington to work on counter proliferation issues in 2006. He then deployed to the British Embassy, Kabul, between November 2007 and February 2008.
He then returned to Washington, working on Afghanistan, until 2010. He returned to the FCO in early 2011 as the Deputy Head of the South Asia Department. In 2012 he was promoted to be the Head of the FCO’s Counter Terrorism Department. From February 2014 until December 2016 he was the Deputy High Commissioner in Abuja.
British Ambassador to Iran
The Ambassador represents His Majesty The King and the UK government in the country to which they are appointed. They are responsible for the direction and work of the embassy and its consulates, including political work, trade and investment, press and cultural relations, and visa and consular services.
Previous roles in government
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Director, National Security
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British Ambassador to Yemen
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British Deputy High Commissioner Abuja