TEHRAN – Iran’s national Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad team has secured the world championship for a third consecutive year, winning five gold medals at the 19th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA 2026) in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The five team members—Sarina Elmpour, Muhammad-Hussein Husseini, Hirbod Foudazi, Hyssein Masoumi, and Arshia Mirshamsi-Kakhaki—each claimed gold at the competition, held from September 25 to October 5, 2026, which brought together more than 320 students from over 66 countries. 
The nearly 10-day event featured exams covering theoretical knowledge, teamwork, astronomical observations, data processing, and practical examinations.
President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a message congratulating the students, their families, coaches, and the Young Scholars Club, describing the achievement as “a clear sign of the scientific capacity and brilliant talents of the country’s young generation” who competed globally “with knowledge and perseverance”. 
Pezeshkian emphasized the government’s responsibility to support elites and provide equal opportunities for growth, expressing hope the championship would inspire future generations to pursue science and build a more prosperous Iran.
First Vice President Muhammad Reza Aref also extended his 
congratulations, saying the victory “created a wave of joy, pride, and national honor across the beloved homeland.” 
He called the achievement “a worthy manifestation of the unparalleled scientific capability, abundant intelligence, and lofty determination of the children of this land” and “a clear proof of the lasting capacities of the country’s educational system”. 
Aref stressed that sustaining such strategic achievements represents “a precious investment toward realizing scientific authority and heralds the emergence of a creative, self-confident, and influential generation in conquering the future horizons of Islamic Iran”.
IRGC Commander-in-Chief Major General Ahmad Vahidi issued a separate message, describing the victory as “another demonstration of the capabilities, perseverance, and talent of Iranian youth on the international scientific stage.” 
He said the achievement brought “deep pride to the Iranian nation and the armed forces”.
The victory marks Iran’s third consecutive world championship at the IOAA, following gold-medal sweeps at the 17th competition in Brazil and the 18th in Mumbai, India.