“It was the U.S. which betrayed diplomacy, but it is Iran which must return to the table!” questioned Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi in his deal with to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) assembly in Istanbul on June 22, instantly after the U.S. bombed Iran’s three nuclear amenities — Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow. Set in opposition to Israel and the U.S., his job was to inform the Islamic world how Iran was betrayed by the identical powers with whom it was speaking.
A former member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Mr. Araghchi rose by means of the ranks of Tehran’s overseas affairs between 1988 and 2013. Joining the IRGC throughout the 1979 decision, Mr. Araghchi was reportedly chosen to be part of the ‘Quds Force’, the IRGC’s exterior affairs department.
While Mr. Araghchi has denied his position in the Quds Force, he was inducted into Iran’s Foreign Ministry as an professional in worldwide affairs in 1989. He had served as Iran’s Ambassador in Finland, Estonia and Japan, earlier than he was made the official spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry.
In 2013, Mr. Araghchi was made Iran’s chief negotiator to carry talks with the ‘P5+1’ group (the U.S., China, France, Russia, the U.Okay and Germany) on its nuclear programme. After 20 months of talks, Mr. Araghchi was profitable in getting all events to conform to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was signed in 2015.
Iran was given aid in financial sanctions and was allowed to have a restricted nuclear programme beneath the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The U.S., nevertheless, unilaterally pulled out of the JCPOA in 2018 beneath Donald Trump.
Israel offensive
After the October 7, 2023 assault by Hamas, Iran’s then Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian asserted that Tehran had no prior information of the assault. Israel expanded the battle by attacking Iran’s ally in Lebanon, Hezbollah, and killing IRGC commanders in Syria. Houthis, Iran-backed rebels in Yemen, attacked tankers in the Red Sea. In April 2024, in retaliation for an Israeli strike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Tehran launched ballistic missiles at Israel. On May 19, 2024, a helicopter carrying Amir-Abdollahian and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi crashed close to the Iran-Azerbaijan border and Mr. Araghchi was chosen as the nation’s prime diplomat in the Masoud Pezeshkian authorities. As Israeli airstrikes killed extra Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, Iran launched its second direct assault on Israel in October that yr, warning Israel to finish its assault throughout its borders. Israel retaliated with air strikes.
After Donald Trump returned to the White House, the U.S. provided dialogue to Iran, which Tehran accepted. On April 13, 2025, Mr. Araghchi held the first spherical of talks with Trump officers in Oman over the nuclear programme. “It was a constructive meeting held in a very peaceful and respectful environment,” opined Mr. Araghchi. They met 5 occasions. On June 13, two days forward of the sixth spherical of talks, Israel launched a large assault on Iran’s nuclear amenities, scientists and army leaders. On June 22, the U.S. joined Israel’s conflict. Mr. Trump later claimed that U.S. strikes ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear programme. He additionally introduced a ceasefire on Israel and Iran, after an Iranian assault at the American base in Qatar on June 23.
“Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged,” mentioned Mr. Araghchi, accusing the U.S. of ‘attacking the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of a UN member state’.
Leaked U.S. Intelligence reviews recommend that the U.S.-Israeli assault set again Iran’s nuclear programme by a number of months. Despite Mr. Trump’s claims that talks with Iran would resume, Mr. Araghchi acknowledged that Iran has no plan to satisfy with the U.S. over a nuclear deal, including, “we know our worth, value our independence, and never allow anyone else to decide our destiny”. As Iran recovers from the conflict, the problem earlier than Mr. Araghchi is to strengthen ties with the allies and handle ties with the rivals in a such a means that additional exterior aggression could be prevented at least in the close to future.
