Tehran (The Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian has appointed a former nuclear negotiator as foreign minister to his offered cabinet as he faces the dual challenge of resuming discussions with Western powers about sanctions relief while addressing a potential confrontation with Israel.
Abbas Araghchi, a seasoned delegate who played a key position in the 2015 nuclear accord negotiations, had been sidelined by hardliners in recent years as they reduced control.
Western diplomats in Tehran and Iran’s business community greeted Araghchi’s selection, presented to parliament on Sunday along with 18 other cabinet nominations. It was a signal that the republic might adopt a more pragmatic policy to its long-running nuclear stand-off with the West in the hope of securing sanctions relief, they stated.
What challenges does Iran face with western powers and Israel?
There are growing worries that the republic is on a collision course with Israel as Iranian leaders have promised to respond to the supposed Israeli assassination of Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month. A senior Western envoy in Tehran highlighted the problems of dealing with outgoing hardline officials, stating Araghchi would “make a lot of difference” on routine matters. But the envoy added that his appointment might not signify a big change in foreign policy, with key decisions chosen by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, and the Revolutionary Guards.
How is the new Iranian administration responding to international pressure?
The new administration encountered an immediate crisis after Haniyeh’s assassination on July 31, hours after he listened to Pezeshkian’s inauguration, dealing a powerful blow to the republic’s prestige. Pezeshkian, the country’s foremost reformist president in two decades, backed Tehran’s right to reply to an attack that Iran claimed was carried out by Israel utilising a short-range projectile.
Pezeshkian, who suddenly won a snap election after the death of ex-president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May, secured his success in last month’s run-off against a hardliner. He has stated that Iran’s economy — hindered by currency depreciation, stagnation and years of about 40 per cent inflation — cannot recuperate while US sanctions on the country’s nuclear programme remain in position. Pezeshkian also pledged to ease social restrictions on women, reduce internet censorship, and enhance the representation of ethnic and religious minorities, as well as youth, in his government.
