Ignacio Rupérez Rubio

Ignacio Rupérez Rubio (17 October 1943 – 25 December 2015) was a Spanish diplomat, journalist, and writer. Rupérez was appointed Ambassador to Iraq on 3 June 2005, becoming the first Ambassador to Iraq since 1991, when the Spanish embassy in Baghdad was closed during the Gulf War. He served as Ambassador to Iraq from 2005 until 2008. He became a Spanish diplomat in 1980. He later published his book, "Collateral Damage," in which he criticized the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Instead, Rupérez spent the first fourteen months of his Ambassadorship to Honduras stationed at the Spanish Embassy in neighboring El Salvador. He was finally allowed into Honduras when relations between the two countries improved.

Most recently, Rupérez has served as Ambassador-at-large for Muslim Communities and Organizations Abroad.

Ignacio Rupérez died at a hospital in Madrid on 25 December 2015 at the age of 72, following a long illness.