Who is Iran’s FM Seyyed Abbas Araghchi?+Photos

Pars Today – "Seyyed Abbas Araghchi" is an Iranian diplomat and politician who has been serving as the Foreign Minister of Iran since 2024.

"Seyyed Abbas Araghchi," the Foreign Minister of Iran in the 14th government, is a seasoned diplomat and a member of Iran's nuclear negotiation team with the P5+1 group. He has previously served as the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as the political deputy of this ministry. This article from Pars Today takes a look at his life and career.

Birth

Abbas Araghchi was born on December 5, 1962, into a traditional family in Tehran. He is the fourth child in a family of six siblings, having three sisters and three brothers. Most of his family members are active in business and trade, with his grandfather being a carpet merchant. Araghchi lost his father at the age of 17. He also has two older brothers.

Education

Araghchi began his academic journey in 1985 at the School of International Relations of Iran’s Foreign Ministry, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1989. He pursued a master’s in political science and later obtained a PhD in political thought from the University of Kent, UK. He is fluent in Arabic and English.

Family

Araghchi is married and has three children: two sons and one daughter.

Presence in Iran-Iraq war

During the imposed war of Iraq’s Ba’ath Party against Iran, Araghchi served on the frontlines. He once shared a photo of himself from that time on Instagram.

Authoring books

"Iran Taishi" and "Negotiations: the Power of Diplomacy" are two books authored by Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister.

Honors and awards

Among his honors, Araghchi has received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, from the Japanese government. He was also awarded the Second-Class Medal of Excellence and Management by the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as the Golden Plaque of Appreciation from the same office. Additionally, he has been recognized as the distinguished researcher of Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has received numerous commendations from Iranian presidents, foreign ministers, and other officials.

Responsibilities  

Seyyed Abbas Araghchi took on his first responsibility as an expert in the international department of Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1999. In 1994, he assumed his first official role as the head of Iran's representation at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The senior Iranian diplomat served as Iran's ambassador to Finland from 1999 to 2003. Then, in 2003, he became the head of the First Western European Department of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a year.

From 2005 to 2007, Araghchi served as the legal and international affairs deputy of Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2007, he was appointed as Iran's ambassador to Japan and moved to Tokyo, where he spent four years in that position. In 2013, Araghchi initially worked for a period as the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before being appointed as the deputy for legal and international affairs at the ministry.

With the eleventh government coming to office and the transfer of Iran's nuclear negotiations to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Araghchi joined Iran's nuclear negotiation team in October 2013. Following Mohammad Javad Zarif, the then foreign minister, Araghchi was considered the second-ranking Iranian official in the nuclear negotiations with the P5+1 group. These negotiations resulted in the signing of the agreement known as the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) between Iran and the P5+1 in July 2015.

Oman, the testing ground for Iran’s nuclear diplomacy and Trump

Currently, the preliminary talks between American and Iranian officials in Oman, led by Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi, are being viewed as an opportunity to assess the possibility of formal negotiations regarding Iran’s peaceful nuclear program. These negotiations, despite the troubled history of U.S.-Iran relations and mounting pressures from Israel, could pave the way for establishing a framework and timeline for discussions. However, their fate remains uncertain.

And now, negotiations amidst war and distrust  

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witekaf began indirect talks with Araghchi in Oman at a time when nuclear tensions between Tehran and Washington have reached a critical point. Trump insists on the complete dismantling of Iran's enrichment program, while Tehran emphasizes its right to continue peaceful nuclear activities. The release of $6 billion of Iran’s frozen assets has been proposed as a precondition for negotiations. Meanwhile, the threat of military action continues to loom over the negotiation atmosphere.

MG/UR