Grand Cross of the Civil Merit to Antonio Sánchez-Benedito, Spain’s Ambassador to Iran, recently evacuated

Eduardo González The Council of Ministers approved on Tuesday, in recognition of his “merits and circumstances” and at the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, the awarding of the Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Merit to the Spanish Ambassador to Iran, Antonio Sánchez-Benedito, who was recently evacuated along with the rest of the Embassy staff as a result of the armed conflict. Antonio Sánchez-Benedito was successfully evacuated along with the rest of the Embassy staff on March 7, just one week after the outbreak of the armed conflict, which began with the US-Israeli offensive on February 28 against Iran. This offensive included the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and escalated with retaliatory attacks by the Islamic Republic against approximately fifteen countries in the region. The evacuation took place by land across the border with Azerbaijan. Sánchez-Benedito, who was appointed Spain's ambassador to Iran in May 2024, replacing Ángel Losada, has an extensive career as a diplomat. Born in Málaga in 1968 and a member of the Diplomatic Corps since 1994, he has held various positions of responsibility, both in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European External Action Service. At the central offices in Madrid, he has worked in the Deputy Directorates General for South America and Sub-Saharan Africa, and abroad, among other postings, he has served as Spain's ambassador to Ethiopia, Seychelles, and Djibouti, and to the African Union, and as head of the European Union Delegation to Madagascar and the Comoros, and to Mozambique. Before his arrival in Tehran in June 2024, Antonio Sánchez-Benedito was ambassador on special mission for the Sahel and the Africa Plan.

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