The son of an Iranian carpet merchant from Isfahan, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who will accompany the parliament speaker in peace talks with the United States in Pakistan, has compared the country's negotiating style to the bartering of the bazaar, an approach requiring "patience and great time."
Iranian and US officials are expected to hold talks on Friday to discuss a long-term settlement after the longtime foes agreed on a Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire to suspend a six-week-old war that has killed thousands, spread across the Middle East, and caused unprecedented disruption to the world's energy supplies. Tehran said the Iranian delegation, led by influential former commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, will enter peace talks with caution, citing a deep trust deficit with Washington.
Israel removed Araghchi and Ghalibaf from its hit list after Pakistan urged Washington to press Israel not to target them, a Pakistani source told Reuters last month, making them some of the few top figures left that could negotiate with the United States after scores of Iran's senior political and military officials were targeted during the war. Araghchi, Iran's top diplomat since 2024, was picked by Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to lead several rounds of talks with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, in efforts to resolve Tehran's longstanding nuclear dispute with the West. (Read More)
