Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh appointed Hossein Kazzempour Ardebili as Iran’s new governor to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Namdar Zanganeh made the appointment in a letter sent to OPEC Secretary-General Abdullah Salem Al-Badri introducing Kazzempour Ardebili as Iran’s governor to the oil cartel. Kazzempour Ardebili replaced Mohammad Ali Khateibi Tabatabai who was had the post since 2008. He served as Iran’s OPEC governor for 23 years from 1985 to 2008. OPEC is an intergovernmental organization that was created at the Baghdad Conference in September 1960, by Iran, Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Later it was joined by nine more members, including Libya, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Algeria, Nigeria, Ecuador, Angola, and Gabon. OPEC was headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland before moving to Vienna, Austria, in September 1965.