Alan Eyre

Alan E. Eyre is the first-ever Persian language spokesperson of the United States Department of State. Eyre became the State Department's Persian-language spokesperson in April 2011. The post was created as part of U.S. government efforts to communicate with the Iranian peoples.

Early life and education He studied American literature at Dartmouth College and became interested in Sufi poetry, so he taught himself Persian. He lived for a few years in Los Angeles and made friends in the city's large Iranian expatriate community. His favorite football team is "Tractor Tabriz" in Iran.

Career Eyre was the head of Iran office at the U.S. Consulate in Dubai, and is a fluent Persian speaker with Iranian proverbs and expressions. Eyre has been interviewed in Persian by some Persian-language media.

Eyre was involved in the nuclear talks with Iran and participated in written framework agreement negotiation.

He is currently a Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow at the Middle East Institute , and is a frequent guest contributor to PBS News Hour on the 2026 Iran war.