Essan Mohebi

principled resentful resolute

Essan Mohebi stands as the sole surgeon capable of treating the Ayatollah's son for Eisenmenger's Syndrome amid a White House ethical crisis. A Persian doctor, he refuses the operation, forcing Bartlet and Abbey to confront medical obligations against political pressures. His stance highlights tensions between personal ethics and national demands, positioning him at the nexus of medicine and diplomacy in urgent Oval Office deliberations.

5 appearances

Surgery

Also known as: the doctor, the only doctor available

Essan Mohebi's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

5 moments

S4E9 · Swiss Diplomacy

Bedroom Banter Interrupted — Eisenmenger and the Unwilling Surgeon

Implied refusal, possibly resentful or ethically opposed; emotionally determined to decline performing the operation under current circumstances.

Referenced as 'the only doctor available' who 'won't do it' and identified as Persian; his refusal is the concrete obstacle Abbey asks the President to overcome.

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S4E9 · Swiss Diplomacy

Ethics vs. Executive: The Surgeon Refuses

Not present physically, but implied reluctance and perhaps resentment or fear of political entanglement.

Essan Mohebi is referenced as 'the only doctor available' who has refused to perform the transplant; he does not appear on-screen but his refusal catalyzes the ethical and political argument …

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S4E9 · Swiss Diplomacy

A President's Promise: Mohebi Agrees to Operate

Defensive and anguished; outwardly resolute but internally torn between professional duty and fear for kin.

Dr. Essan Mohebi stands in the Outer Oval and resists scrubbing in, enumerating abuses in Iran and refusing to 'aid the enemy.' He questions the voluntariness of organ donation and …

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S4E9 · Swiss Diplomacy

Bartlet's Stern Blessing

Not present; suggested professional readiness or reluctance depending on broader context.

Referenced by Bartlet/Leo ('Mohebi's day just started') as the surgeon relevant to the medical crisis; not present but central to the surgery referenced.

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S4E9 · Swiss Diplomacy

Nightfall Decisions: Nominee, Missiles, and a Surgery Underway

Implied calm professionalism—focused on the medical task rather than political context.

Referenced by Bartlet when Leo reports the surgery; Mohebi is framed as the surgeon whose day has just begun—a professional presence implied to be carrying the operation's burden.

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