Proposed Foreign Minister of Iran; Who is Abbas Araqchi?

Abbas Araqchi, born on August 5, 1962, is a former member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran's ambassador to Japan and Finland, and was part of the nuclear negotiations with Saeed Jalili, serving as Deputy to Javad Zarif in the talks leading to the JCPOA. He has been introduced to the parliament as the candidate for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Massoud Pezeshkian for the fourteenth government. But what do we know about this diplomat? What views has he held during his years of activity and what positions has he accepted? Personal Life Araqchi lost his father during childhood, but his wealthy brothers, who were in the carpet trade, took care of him. Araqchi recounts that the end of his high school years coincided with the Cultural Revolution, and while he wanted to study a technical field at university, he went to the war fronts. He later became an official member of the IRGC and after his service at the front, he took the entrance exam for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Faculty of International Relations. Nevertheless, Araqchi still takes pride in his time in the IRGC and states that he has kept his uniforms from that period. In a television interview, Araqchi attributes his success in the entrance exam to his good language skills, as his sister, an English teacher, had 'doped' him. 20 years of the nuclear file; from diplomats to pawns Entering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and climbing the ranks Araqchi accepted his first responsibility as an expert in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1988. Over the decades, despite changes in ministers, he has held various positions within this organization, including Deputy Ambassador at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Head of the Persian Gulf Studies Center at the Political and International Studies Office, Head of the Western Europe Department, and Head of the Faculty of International Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Araqchi has been sent on foreign missions as an ambassador twice; first from 1999 to 2003 during Mohammad Khatami's government as Iran's ambassador to Finland, and then from 2007 to 2011 during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government to Tokyo as ambassador to Japan. Nuclear negotiations during Ahmadinejad's government With the end of Mohammad Khatami's government and the acceptance of responsibility for nuclear negotiations by Ali Larijani, Abbas Araqchi begins a new chapter in his political and professional life. In this new mechanism, Araqchi joins the Iranian negotiating team but is more on the sidelines during those years. Larijani's tenure is not long, and the then Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council resigns due to disagreements with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Araqchi is sent to Japan. Four years later, when he returns to Tehran in 2011, he joins Saeed Jalili's team and participates in the nuclear negotiations. From there, Araqchi becomes a more recognized figure and has a prominent presence alongside Jalili. At that time, Ali Bagheri Kani, Jalili's right-hand man, and Araqchi assist the then Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council in the negotiations. These negotiations, however, continue without results and yield no outcomes other than the issuance of successive UN Security Council resolutions against Iran. Wendy Sherman, a former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and a senior negotiator for the U.S., writes in her memoirs about Abbas Araqchi: 'Interactions during Jalili's time were slow and unproductive. We did not know that Araqchi could speak English because everyone on the Iranian team spoke in Persian.' Pezeshkian submitted his list of proposed ministers to the parliament; Araqchi was introduced as Foreign Minister Joining Zarif's team and achieving the JCPOA With Javad Zarif taking office as Foreign Minister in 2013, responsibility for nuclear negotiations shifts from the Supreme National Security Council to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Zarif retains Araqchi from the previous negotiating team. This decision faces significant criticism both from within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and from opponents of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government, who see Araqchi as a symbol of Jalili's unproductive negotiations. Nevertheless, Araqchi gradually becomes a more important figure in the Iranian negotiating team, and many in the media refer to him as the 'bad cop' of the Iranian team. He adopts a tougher approach both in closed-door negotiation sessions and in front of reporters, frequently discussing the distance between the parties from an agreement. Araqchi's frequent presence in front of television cameras makes him a well-known figure and the second person in the negotiating team. After months of negotiations, in July 2015, an agreement is finally reached between Iran and world powers regarding the JCPOA. Controversies surrounding the Araqchi family One of the issues added to the text in the final hours of negotiations was the lifting of sanctions on the export of Iranian carpets and pistachios. At that time, some media discussed Araqchi's role in that matter; an event that is significant considering the activities of his two brothers in carpet exports. However, the issue of the Araqchi family and its controversies is not limited to this matter. During the nuclear negotiations leading to the JCPOA, a nephew of his named 'Ali Araqchi,' who is said to have been a student in Geneva, was frequently seen at the negotiations. This young Araqchi was active on social media at that time, publishing exclusive images and news from behind the scenes of the negotiations. This led to criticisms of the negotiating team and the creation of a news rent for Abbas Araqchi's nephew. Another member of the Araqchi family is Ahmad, the nephew of the then Deputy Foreign Minister, who was appointed as the currency deputy of the Central Bank in 2017. He, however, remained in this position for a short time and was dismissed by Valiollah Seif, the then head of the Central Bank, in 2018, and subsequently arrested by the judiciary on charges of disrupting the currency market. He was also sentenced to eight years in prison, but ultimately the Supreme Court overturned his sentence. Abbas Araqchi's wife, Bahareh Abdollahian, is the daughter of a businessman close to the Motalefeh Party, and the couple has two sons and a daughter. Araqchi's son-in-law is also a cleric with religious education. Araqchi: We must not allow protests against us to occur abroad regularly Loyal to Khamenei and interested in Soleimani Abbas Araqchi has repeatedly expressed his loyalty and devotion to Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the IRGC's Quds Force. He once stated in a television interview regarding the nuclear negotiations with American diplomats: 'I really enjoyed that our negotiating team, which was considered third-world by the Americans, but we see ourselves as the children of Imam and leadership, could sit in front of people like William Burns, who is now the head of the CIA, and Wendy Sherman, who was the Deputy Secretary of State, make noise and get our demands.' In various statements, he emphasizes the need to adhere to Khamenei's guidance throughout the nuclear negotiations. Araqchi also does not see a role for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in diplomacy other than executing 'government directives.' He confirms Khamenei's statements in this regard and emphasizes that foreign ministries worldwide should implement established policies. After the rise of Ebrahim Raisi's government, Araqchi was sidelined and effectively left the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; however, Kamal Kharrazi, a former foreign minister, brought him to the Supreme Leader's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations and appointed him as secretary. Araqchi has also repeatedly expressed his devotion to Qassem Soleimani, recalling a memory of his last meeting with the former commander of the IRGC's Quds Force: 'One of my greatest regrets is that a few days before Haj Qassem's martyrdom, we went to meet him for a session with Mr. Zarif, while he always used to greet everyone, that day he was in a hurry and after finishing his conversation with Mr. Zarif, he quickly passed by me, and this regret that I could not greet him that day remains with me.' Diplomatic achievements and failures of Ebrahim Raisi's 'obedient government' Pezeshkian's foreign policy with Araqchi Abbas Araqchi once stated during the nationwide protests of 2022 regarding the formation of protests by Iranians opposing the Islamic Republic in foreign countries: 'This is a dangerous occurrence that has multiple reasons, part of which is pursued by Israel. The goal of these actions is to securitize Iran, defame it, and delegitimize the Islamic Republic.' Araqchi points out that such events could have significant costs for the Islamic Republic, stating that measures such as 'pursuing correct policies,' 'using media and public diplomacy,' and similar actions must be taken to prevent their recurrence. Araqchi believes in the Islamic Republic's overarching policy of 'neither East nor West' and has repeatedly emphasized it in his comments. He states that when necessary, negotiations should be held with the 'enemy,' which could mean his willingness to engage in dialogue with the United States. However, Araqchi adds that decisions regarding such negotiations should not be made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but by higher authorities. He has taken a different approach regarding the Ukraine war compared to most officials of the Islamic Republic, calling it a factor for the 'revival of NATO.' Araqchi stated in a speech in May 2022 regarding this: 'After the Cold War and until this crisis, NATO had lost its raison d'être. We witnessed that Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, claimed in a speech the previous year that NATO was in a state of brain death, but now we see that NATO has come back to life, and countries like Finland, which had pursued a policy of neutrality in conflicts all these years, are reconsidering their policies and want to join NATO.' Officials of the Islamic Republic and Ali Khamenei himself describe the Ukraine war as a product of NATO's actions and its provocation of Russia. Araqchi also, in another interview regarding what he calls 'the policies of Iran's enemies,' states: 'On the issue of Iran's nuclear program, internal issues, human rights, and also issues related to Ukraine and drones, they are maneuvering significantly, and in all three cases, they are creating a space against Iran that is more about creating a narrative than reality, defaming the Islamic Republic, and attempting to delegitimize us.' Araqchi further explains his views on foreign policy: 'We must be vigilant; I am not saying we will yield to these pressures because we have endured greater pressures, but why should we allow such pressure to be imposed on us? In my opinion, we must confront it. This requires that measures be taken in diplomacy, cultural work, and domestic policy to prevent others from exploiting and distorting the image of the Islamic Republic, so that they can impose greater pressures on Iran.' It seems that Araqchi has adopted more pragmatic and less ideological approaches in recent years, and he can be seen as a more muted and conservative version of Javad Zarif. However, given the increasing influence and dominance of Ali Khamenei over diplomacy and government institutions, any significant impact from Araqchi or any other individual in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should be viewed with skepticism and caution.