Mehdi Faridzadeh served as the Iranian cultural ambassador to the United Nations from 1996 to 2000. Prior to his tenure, Mr. Farizadeh served as the Vice President of Iran Broadcasting, the national Iranian media, and was the Deputy minister of culture in Iranian arts and cinema. After the completion of his ambassadorship, in the year 2000, Mr. Faridzadeh resigned from the Iranian public life and his government position.  

He worked with Columbia University as a visiting scholar, turned his work and attention to cultural exchanges and sought to foster people-to-people activities between the people of the U.S. and Iran. To that end, he organized countless dialogues, conferences, and meetings among non-profit organizations and academics including the Asia Society International, Search for Common Ground, and Pittsburgh American Middle East Institute, facilitated cultural exchanges, and collaborated with the American Institute for Iranian Studies to enable American students to study abroad in Iran. Mr. Faridzadeh served as a member of Asia Society International and Global Council.  

He served as a board member of UMAA, the Shia Muslim organization North America. Mr. Faridzadeh is currently the president of the Board of Trustees for the Islamic Institute of New York and continues his efforts to foster peace, religious tolerance, understanding, and cultural exchange among all.