Natalie Amiri

International Correspondent & Anchorwoman

ARD/ Bayerischer Rundfunk, Germany

Born in 1978, Natalie Amiri grew up in Munich in a German-Iranian family and lived and worked for over six years in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. She is one of the few German journalists who knows Iran in detail and succeeds in classifying the international political events surrounding the Islamic Republic discerningly and accurately.

She studied Oriental Studies and Islamic Studies at the Otto Friedrich University in Bamberg. A scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) took her to the universities of Tehran and Damascus. In 2007, Natalie Amiri began working for the ARD (German public service broadcaster) office in Tehran. Since 2011, she has represented the correspondents in the ARD studios of BR (Bavarian Broadcasting), including those working in Istanbul, Athens and Rome.

Natalie Amiri became known for her courageous investigative research, astute commentaries in the “Tagesthemen”, a German news programme, as well as her dedicated interviews and coverages. Award-winning works include her ARD documentary “Death off Lampedusa – Europe’s Fall from Grace”, as well as the Grimme Award-nominated documentary: “Disappeared in Germany”, a depressingly impressive film that searches for underage refugees missing in Germany. In 2019, Amiri was nominated for the German Television Award as best foreign correspondent.

Since 30 March 2014, she has hosted the “ARD-Weltspiegel” from Munich, as well as the TV magazine “Euroblick”. Natalie Amiri has also headed the ARD office in Tehran since 2015. In May 2020, she was warned by the German Foreign Office not to enter Iran anymore and therefore had to give up the management of the Tehran TV studio.

In 2021, she reached from Medium Magazin the first place and thus as the best political journalist in the country. The reasoning of the jury is: “Amiri reports professionally and knowledgeably from crisis countries like Afghanistan and Syria. With empathy but a critical view of the governments, she draws a clear and realistic picture of these countries. Her book ‘”Between the Worlds”’, about her experiences in Iran, became a bestseller in 2021. With her tireless work, she helps ensure that the world’s crisis regions are not forgotten.” Her second book “Afghanistan- Unbeaten Loser” was published in March 2022. And became again a Bestseller.