Chris Rundle was a valued and respected member of the FCO Research Department (now Research Analysts) for 35 years. He joined in 1963 and set to work, not as he had expected on Soviet Affairs, but in the Middle East Section. Chris was uncomfortable with working on an area about which he knew little and did not speak the languages, and soon began taking Persian language lessons. Thus began a lifelong interest in and love of all aspects of Persian culture and society, which underpinned Chris's career as a leading analyst of Iranian and Afghan affairs.
Chris spent his early years in the South of England and Wales. He was educated at Cranbrook School, and, after the obligatory period of National Service, went on to St John's College, Cambridge, where he took a first in Russian and French. After graduating in 1962, there being no immediate vacancy in Research Department, Chris obtained a job at the Central Asian Research Centre in London. A year later he began work in Research Department.
In the summer of 1967 Chris set off for Tehran to complete his language training, and in June 1968 travelled to Afghanistan to take up a posting in Kabul, where he was one of the last diplomats to hold the post of Oriental Secretary. Chris travelled extensively in Afghanistan: he accompanied Bruce Chatwin and his wife, and Peter Levi, on their journey through Nuristan, which gave him unique insights into the remote societies of tribal Afghanistan.
There followed a series of research visits and postings to Tehran during which Chris deepened his understanding of Iran and extended his wide range of contacts. He was there during some of the most turbulent times in modern Iranian history: the revolutionary ferment which led to the fall of the Shah; the subsequent definition of a new constitution which would establish the Islamic Republic and install Ayatollah Khomeini as the Supreme Leader; the Iran-Iraq war; and the conflict between the clerics and the secular political classes which created a climate of fear and violence in Tehran.
On his return Chris's expertise and analytical skills were in high demand as the UK-Iran relationship became ever more complex. His advice was sought not only by the FCO and other Government departments, but also by academic institutions and think tanks. After retirement, Chris continued to participate in seminars and conferences on Iran and, latterly, on Afghanistan, where he travelled again in 2003. He was an active member of the British Institute of Persian Studies, and was made an Honorary Fellow of Durham University. At Durham he was appointed Honorary President of the Centre for Iranian Studies. Always ready to help and engage with students, Chris's insightful and informed views were greatly appreciated.
He is survived by his wife, Qamar (now known as Homa), and their daughter, Susanne.