Abbas Araghchi

Sayyid Abbas Araghchi (Persian: سیّد عباس عراقچی, pronounced [ʔæbˌbɒːse æɾɒːˈɢtʃi] ^ⓘ; also spelled Araqchi,^[4] born 5 December 1962)^[5] is an Iranian diplomat and politician, who is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran since August 2024. He previously served as the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as Ambassador to Finland and to Japan.

Seyyed Abbas Araghchi
Araghchi in 2024
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 August 2024
President	Masoud Pezeshkian
Preceded by	Hossein Amir-Abdollahian Ali Bagheri (acting)
Chief Nuclear Negotiator of Iran
In office 15 July 2015 – 26 December 2021
President	Hassan Rouhani
Preceded by	Javad Zarif
Succeeded by	Ali Bagheri
Acting Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
In office 11 May 2013 – 28 August 2013
President	Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Preceded by	Ramin Mehmanparast
Succeeded by	Marzieh Afkham
Ambassador of Iran to Japan
In office 4 January 2008 – October 2011
President	Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Preceded by	Mohsen Talaei
Succeeded by	Majid Matlabi Shabestari (acting)
Ambassador of Iran to Finland Accredited Ambassador to Estonia
In office 19 December 1999 – 6 September 2003
President	Mohammad Khatami
Preceded by	Mahmoud Boroujerdi
Succeeded by	Javad Kachoueian
Personal details
Born	(1962-12-05) 5 December 1962 (age 62)[1] Tehran, Imperial State of Iran[1]
Alma mater	School of International Relations Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch University of Kent
Awards	Order of Merit and Management (2nd class)[2]
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Iran
Branch/service	Revolutionary Guards
Years of service	1979–1988[3]
Battles/wars	Iran–Iraq War

Personal life

Araghchi was born on December 5, 1962 in Isfahan to a prominent Persian Carpet merchant family. He has three sisters and three brothers, most of whom are involved in trade and commerce. His grandfather was a carpet trader. His father died when he was 17. His two older brothers hold significant positions, with one being a member of the Board of Directors of the Exporters Union, and the other a member of the Sellers Union. His nephew, Seyed Ahmad Araghchi, served as the Deputy Governor for Foreign Exchange Affairs at the Central Bank of Iran from 2017 to 2018, but was dismissed and arrested by the judiciary following fluctuations in the foreign exchange market. Araghchi is married to Bahareh Abdollahi, and they have two sons and a daughter.^{[6][better source needed]}

Education

Abbas Araghchi earned his Bachelor's degree in International Relations from the School of International Relations, affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He then obtained a Master's degree in Political Science from Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch. Additionally, Araghchi holds a Ph.D. in Political Thought from the University of Kent with a thesis entitled 'The evolution of the concept of political participation in twentieth-century Islamic political thought'.^{[7][8] [9]}

Career

Araghchi entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran in 1989. In early 1990s, he served as chargé d'affaires of the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Organization of Islamic Conference, based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.^[1]

Prior to becoming Ambassador, Araghchi served as Director General of the Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS). From 2004 to 2005, he was dean of the School of International Relations.^[1]

He served as ambassador to Finland (1999–2003) and Japan (2008–2011).^[1]

He served as a former political deputy at the foreign ministry from 2017 to 2021. He previously held office as the Deputy for Asia–Pacific and the Commonwealth Affairs^[10] and Legal and International Affairs of the foreign ministry.^[1] He served as Iran's chief nuclear negotiator in talks with the P5+1, in Hassan Rouhani's government.^[11]

Foreign minister

See also: Foreign policy of the Masoud Pezeshkian administration

Araghchi was nominated to be President Masoud Pezeshkian's foreign minister as of 11 August 2024^[12] and eventually became Minister of Foreign Affairs following a vote of confidence by the Islamic Consultative Assembly on 21 August.^[13] On a December interview he stated that "2025 will be an important year regarding Iran's nuclear issue." This coming as a reaction to Trump's soon to start his roll as new US president, talks of new economic sanctions and the Iranian rial reaching a low of 820,500 to the Dollar.^[14]

In January 2025, Araghchi became the first Iranian foreign minister to visit Afghanistan since 2017 and the first to visit since the Taliban takeover in 2021.^[15]

Career timeline

Professional roles listed chronologically:

• Deputy Minister for Political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2018–2021)
• Deputy Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2013–2018)
• Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (May 2013–September 2013)
• Iranian Ambassador to Japan (2008–2011)
• Deputy Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2005–2008)
• Dean of the Faculty of International Relations (2004–2005)
• Director of the First Department of Western Europe, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2003–2004)
• Iranian Ambassador to Finland (1999–2003)
• Concurrent Iranian Ambassador to Estonia (1999–2003)
• Director General of the Bureau of Political and International Studies (1998–1999)
• Editor-in-Chief of the Foreign Policy Journal at the Bureau of Political and International Studies (1998)
• Research Deputy at the Bureau of Political and International Studies (1998–1999)
• Director of the Persian Gulf Studies Center at the Bureau of Political and International Studies (1997–1998)
• Deputy Ambassador for Iran at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (1992–1997)
• Deputy Director of Islamic, Regional, and Non-Aligned Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1991–1993)
• International Affairs Expert, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1988–1991)^{[16][better source needed]}