Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is one of the key figures in the negotiations over a nuclear agreement between Iran and the United States. He is leading the talks on behalf of Tehran, whose fourth round of discussions was held earlier this week in Oman.
As a representative of the Islamic Republic—a country that persistently seeks to extend its influence across the Middle East—Araghchi is a prominent player in regional diplomacy. He frequently meets with Arab counterparts and travels extensively. Just this past week, he visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
But Araghchi is not only a seasoned diplomat. He is also an author. During the third round of nuclear talks held on April 26 in Oman, he made time for another event: the 29th Muscat International Book Fair, held from April 24 to May 3. Araghchi was among the 649,000 visitors and used the opportunity to launch the Arabic edition of his book The Power of Negotiation. Standing beside him at the launch was Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi.
Published last year, the book is highly relevant to Araghchi’s current role. It outlines his approach to negotiating the Iranian nuclear file, which he has led for years, even before his appointment as foreign minister. The book includes a preface and six chapters covering the political aspects of negotiations, their objectives, stages and the skills required to conduct them. Araghchi writes that negotiation is not merely a series of meetings between diplomats—it is an art deeply rooted in Iranian culture, especially evident in the nation’s bazaars, where veteran merchants haggle with refined skill.
According to Araghchi, a diplomat must possess moral values, self-confidence and emotional control—so much so that their emotions should never be apparent to the opposing side. He also emphasizes the importance of assessing each party’s interests, role and power before any negotiation, and differentiating between declared red lines and real ones.
At the book fair, Araghchi thanked the translator of the Arabic edition and expressed his hope that the book would be helpful to students of international relations. “This is the result of 40 years of diplomatic and foreign policy work and my personal experiences in the nuclear negotiations that led to the nuclear deal,” he said.
The book’s subject matter draws a clear parallel with U.S. President Donald Trump’s 1987 book The Art of the Deal. Both books offer a behind-the-scenes look at their authors’ deal-making philosophies.
From Revolutionary Guard officer to chief negotiator
Born in 1962 to a family of merchants, Araghchi was introduced to the art of bargaining early on. His grandfather, a well-known carpet trader, encouraged the family to pursue commercial careers. However, Araghchi chose a different path. He joined the Revolutionary Guards during the Iran-Iraq War, serving as a field officer and sustaining injuries in combat.
Afterward, he studied at the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s School of International Relations, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1988. He later received a master’s in political science from Tehran’s Islamic Azad University and a doctorate in political thought from the University of Kent in the United Kingdom. He went on to hold various senior diplomatic roles, including legal adviser, ministry spokesperson, ambassador and secretary of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations.
Araghchi became involved in the nuclear file under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. When Hassan Rouhani was elected in 2013, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif appointed him deputy for legal and international affairs, effectively making him the ministry’s second most influential figure. He led the Iranian team in negotiations that produced the 2015 framework agreement with six world powers. He also played a central role in the later efforts to revive the deal under U.S. President Joe Biden.
A pragmatic middleman
Oded Ilam, a former Mossad counterterrorism chief and now a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, described Araghchi as pragmatic and moderate. “He isn’t driven by strong religious fervor or Islamist ideology,” Ilam said. “He served both under the moderate Rouhani and the ultra-conservative Ahmadinejad, and managed to work effectively with both.”
Ilam noted that Araghchi is multilingual, speaking Arabic, English and Persian, but prefers to use Persian during disputes—despite his fluency in English—so he can be translated. This, Ilam explained, is a deliberate tactic to control the conversation.
According to Ilam, Araghchi built strong relationships with Western diplomats, including British and French officials, during the 2013–2015 negotiations—relationships he maintains to this day. He also prioritizes close ties with Russia and China, which he views as essential allies and rising global powers.
“He’s constantly on the move—Russia, Oman, the Gulf states, Japan—you name it,” Ilam said. “He creates trust and calm through his composed demeanor. While he has strong ties to the Revolutionary Guards, he doesn’t come across as a hardliner.”
'The man you’d want running the show'
Despite Araghchi’s central role, the ultimate decision-making authority lies with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ilam believes Araghchi would have already reached an agreement and offered more concessions if it were up to him. “But he acts according to Iran’s worldview,” Ilam said. “Like Ayatollah Khomeini once said, ‘Drown the devil in words.’ The goal is never to break off talks completely, but rather to create manageable crises—just as they did in 2015.”
Araghchi’s strategy, Ilam explained, is to convince the U.S. of Iran’s goodwill in order to lift sanctions and neutralize the threat of military attack.
Sanctions, Ilam noted, are a severe blow to Iran, which is deeply vulnerable to a U.S. or Israeli strike. “Eighty-five percent of Iran’s exports are oil, and most of that goes to China through the Kharg terminal in the Gulf. Disrupting that would be easy,” he said. Iran’s natural gas and oil fields are exposed, and its air defense systems are weak. “If the U.S. or Israel hit Iran’s oil infrastructure, the regime could collapse. They have no alternative income sources.”
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Iran has also faced six years of severe drought. About 65 percent of the country is desert. “Water reserves are depleted. The economic situation is catastrophic. The Iranian currency is at an all-time low. If they can’t pay salaries to the Basij and the Revolutionary Guards, they’re finished,” Ilam warned.
Though he operates within the red lines set by Khamenei, Ilam believes Araghchi may wield more real influence than President Masoud Pezeshkian. “He’s deeply connected within the regime. If I were Iranian, I’d want him running the show.”