Tabatabai is a member of the Iranian Graphic Designers Society, the Association of Iranian Journalists, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the Painting Council of the Tehran Beautification Organization, and the Supreme Council of the Iranian Artists’ Forum.

He has served four terms on the Board of Directors of the Iranian Illustrators Society and has illustrated more than forty books. Tabatabai has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions both in Iran and internationally.

He has also been a selected winner of the Bratislava International Biennial of Illustration on three occasions, has been featured in the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, and has served as a masterclass instructor at festivals in Zagreb and Kuala Lumpur.