Abbas Araqchi, the new Iranian Foreign Minister, is taking the reins at his new office. After being appointed and approved by parliament, he visited the Foreign Ministry for the first time on August 22.
This is important because it comes as Iran continues to have tensions with the US and Israel in the region and comes before important UN meetings over the next month.
According to Iran state media IRNA, “Upon arrival, Araqchi first appeared at the Martyrs Memorial at the ministry’s complex and paid his respect to the martyrs and renewed his allegiance to their lofty ideals.
The top diplomat then held the first meeting with the Council of Deputy Ministers, where he honored Former President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and hailed their sincere service to the nation.”
Araqchi was previously a deputy foreign minister, but he was replaced in 2021. Araqchi’s return to the ministry brings him full circle. Back in 2021, Amir Abdollahian replaced Araqchi with Ali Bagheri Kani. Kani became acting foreign minister when Abdollahian died alongside the Iranian president in a helicopter crash.
Now Araqchi is back. Kani worked hard as an acting foreign minister to cement Iran’s position in the region and increase ties with Moscow. Araqchi is expected to continue many of these trends.
Key regional challenges
IRNA reported that “while referring to the opportunities and challenges before the country in the current regional and international circumstances and the expectations of Iran’s Supreme Leader from the new administration, Araqchi stressed the need to respond to these expectations and hopes with a collective and maximal effort, especially with the Foreign Ministry’s role in promoting the country’s affairs successfully in various fields.”
The Iranian foreign ministry does not conduct the most important policies of Iran. Iran leans heavily on the IRGC to do most of its policies in Iraq, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon. Therefore, the minister is not always the most important person in the room.
However, his role is important in the wider context of the nuclear program discussions, as well as in his ties with Russia, China, and Turkey. His trips are also important for showcasing Iran’s access to the region. Iran has recently reconciled with Saudi Arabia, for instance. Also, Iran is seeking closer ties to Egypt. This is important because Iran wants to isolate Israel in the region.
