Abbas Araghchi

Force in Play

Iran formally voided the Islamabad Declaration MOU on July 15; FM Spokesman Baghaei cited US violations; Araghchi's shuttle diplomacy with Pakistan, Qatar, and Oman continues but no ceasefire has resulted

Iran listed six conditions for reopening Hormuz on August 8: end the US blockade, lift sanctions, and pay reparations. Trump countered two days later, demanding Iran pay for the USS Cole bombing and decades of protester deaths.

Updated 2 hours ago

Force in Play

Said Iran and Oman are 'very close' to a Hormuz transit agreement, while Iran's security council insists full reopening still requires US concessions

Direct US-Iran talks remain stuck. Trump said negotiations would resume August 3; Iran denied any meeting was scheduled and said it was only talking to Oman about the Strait of Hormuz.

Updated 3 days ago

Built World

Said Iran-Oman Hormuz transit negotiations are in 'final stages'; denied Tehran asked Trump to stand down from strikes

Trump cancelled a planned massive air campaign against Iran on August 1. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Iran all asked him to hold off, he said, because 'the perimeters of a deal' had been agreed. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump hours earlier, urging him to prioritize diplomacy and avoid a wider war.

Updated Aug 3

Force in Play

Leading Iran's diplomatic response

For five months, the 2026 Iran war stayed in the south — the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf. On July 25, Ukrainian drones struck cargo ships more than 1,000 miles north, in the Caspian Sea.

Updated Jul 26

Force in Play

Iran signed the Islamabad MOU June 17; declared Hormuz re-closed June 20 citing Israeli Lebanon strikes; pulled Iran from nuclear talks in Switzerland on June 19 over the Lebanon fighting

The US, Israel, and Lebanon signed a 14-point Trilateral Framework Agreement in Washington on June 26. It ties Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon to Hezbollah disarmament — Lebanon's army must first deploy to pilot zones, clear Hezbollah out, and pass a US-led assessment. Washington pledged $100 million in aid.

Updated Jul 4

Force in Play

Iran's lead negotiator; tentative MOU reached May 28 pending both Trump's and Iran's supreme leader's formal approval

On May 10, Trump called Iran's MOU counteroffer 'garbage' and declared the ceasefire on 'life support.' Three weeks later, negotiators reached a tentative memorandum of understanding: Iran would freeze enrichment and hand over its 440 kg stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium; the US would lift sanctions and release frozen assets; the Strait would formally reopen within 30 days of signing.

Updated Jun 6

Force in Play

Leading diplomatic effort to condemn strikes near Bushehr

A projectile struck 350 meters from Iran's only operating nuclear reactor on April 4, killing a security guard and damaging an auxiliary building. It was the fourth time ordnance has landed on or near the Bushehr nuclear power plant since the United States and Israel began striking Iran on February 28.

Updated May 30

Force in Play

Rejecting ceasefire talks while offering to dilute enriched uranium

Iran's nuclear infrastructure has become the primary target of an intensifying US-Israeli air campaign that began February 28 and has now entered its sixth week. The Natanz uranium enrichment complex has been struck four times. On April 4, 2026, US and Israeli forces expanded the campaign to strike the Bushehr nuclear power plant and the Mahshahr petrochemical hub in southwestern Iran. The strikes killed at least one security guard and wounded five workers. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned that strikes on civilian nuclear power plants cross 'the reddest line' of nuclear safety, raising the risk of a radiological catastrophe. Meanwhile, Iran has demonstrated growing military capability: on April 4, Iranian air defenses downed two US warplanes, marking the first confirmed loss of American aircraft in the conflict.

Updated May 30

Force in Play

Serving as foreign minister during the 2026 Iran war

For nearly a decade, Iran insisted it had deliberately capped its ballistic missile range at 2,000 kilometers—enough to hit Israel and American bases in the Middle East but not Europe. On March 21, 2026, Iran fired two missiles 4,000 kilometers at Diego Garcia, a US-UK military base; one failed in flight, another was intercepted by a warship, yet Iran proved its range was double its former claim.

Updated May 30

Force in Play

Leading Iran's diplomatic response; accused US of striking civilian infrastructure

In thirteen days of US-Israeli military strikes on Iran, up to 3.2 million people have fled their homes without leaving the country. The United Nations refugee agency reported on March 12 that between 600,000 and one million Iranian households abandoned Tehran and other major cities for northern provinces and rural areas. This is one of the fastest mass internal displacements in modern conflict.

Updated May 30

Force in Play

Serving as Iran's chief diplomatic voice during the conflict

Since February 28, the US-Iran war has expanded to include critical water infrastructure. On March 8, Iran struck a Bahrain desalination plant.

Updated May 30

Force in Play

Met Putin in St. Petersburg on April 27-28; continuing as Tehran's senior diplomatic voice in Oman-mediated talks; Iranian Foreign Ministry under his direction said on May 11 that US demands are unreasonable

The Iran-US war reached its 73rd day with talks at a deadlock. Trump called Iran's May 10 response 'garbage' and declared the ceasefire on 'massive life support'.

Updated May 30

Force in Play

Warning of Iranian retaliation against US energy infrastructure

Operation Epic Fury, launched jointly by the United States and Israel on February 28, 2026, reached day 39 with the heaviest strikes yet on Iran. The campaign has confirmed over 9,000 targets hit, more than 130 naval vessels destroyed, and at least 55 senior regime leaders killed.

Updated May 30

Force in Play

Leading Iran's delegation in nuclear talks with the US

In June 2025, Israeli and American strikes destroyed roughly a third of Iran's air defenses in twelve days; leaked Russian documents show Tehran has since spent billions to replace and expand what it lost. The secret €500 million agreement includes 500 Verba shoulder‑fired launchers and 2,500 missiles, long‑range S‑400 batteries, and up to 48 Su‑35 fighter jets; the first 16 airframes are in production for Iran. This mix of advanced and widely dispersed man‑portable air‑defense systems is designed to make any future U.S. or Israeli air campaign far more complex and costly.

Updated May 29

Rule Changes

Co-led Iranian delegation at failed Islamabad talks April 11–12; claimed Iran was 'inches away' from a deal before US 'shifted the goalposts'; announced Iran's withdrawal from second round of Islamabad talks on April 20 following US seizure of the Touska

On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion—coordinated airstrikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and senior leadership. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the strikes; his son Mojtaba was elected as the new Supreme Leader on March 8 but hasn't appeared publicly, reportedly recovering from injuries sustained in the same strike. Iran retaliated by closing the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for 20 percent of world oil trade. Pakistan brokered a ceasefire on April 8, but Iran re-closed the Strait on April 18 after the United States refused to lift its naval blockade imposed following failed peace talks.

Updated May 29

Rule Changes

Leading nuclear negotiations while defending Iran's red lines

Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Washington this week with a single message: any deal with Iran must go beyond uranium. After three hours in the Oval Office on February 11, President Trump emerged saying 'nothing definitive' was reached—but negotiations would continue.

Updated May 27

Rule Changes

Condemned the EU designation

For over two decades, the European Union resisted designating Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, wary of severing diplomatic ties with Tehran. On January 29, 2026, that resistance collapsed. All 27 EU foreign ministers voted unanimously to place the IRGC on the same legal footing as al-Qaeda, Hamas, and Islamic State—a designation that triggers automatic asset freezes and travel bans across the bloc. Within hours, the United Kingdom signaled it would follow suit with separate legislation targeting hostile state agencies.

Updated May 23

Force in Play

Condemned EU's IRGC terrorist designation; stated no talks with Washington currently planned; regime faces unprecedented international isolation

Iran's nationwide uprising, triggered by December 28, 2025 bazaar marches in Tehran, was crushed in what may be the deadliest massacre in the Islamic Republic's history. An internet blackout that began January 8 was partially restored around January 17-18, though connectivity remains severely restricted. Early reports confirmed 572 deaths; after internet restoration in late January, the Human Rights Activists News Agency documented at least 6,126 deaths, with estimates ranging from 12,000 to over 36,500.

Updated May 20

Force in Play

Declared Iran ready for war or dialogue with U.S.

Iran's judiciary chief announced January 14 that detained protesters face fast-track trials and executions, despite Trump's warning of "very strong action." The death toll hit at least 2,571, per Human Rights Activists News Agency — four times the count from two days earlier and more than any crackdown since 1979.

Updated May 20

Force in Play

Visited Lebanon January 8, 2026 to discuss Hezbollah and bilateral relations

On January 8, 2026, Lebanon's military announced it had completed phase one of disarming Hezbollah and other militias south of the Litani River, bringing weapons under state control for the first time in 40 years. Over 9,000 soldiers swept the region devastated by the 2024 war (4,000 killed, 1.3 million displaced), clearing ordnance and tunnels. Hours later, Iran's foreign minister arrived for talks; the next day, Israel resumed strikes while occupying five hilltops—business as usual despite the milestone.

Updated May 19