Abbas Araghchi

Says the only solution is diplomacy and respect; Iran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if Washington meets its conditions

President Donald Trump said on Nov. 10 there was a 'good chance' of a deal with Iran and that the US would not launch a new offensive for now. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said sanctions were working so well that major combat operations were unnecessary, though he warned Iran against crossing 'red lines.'

Updated Yesterday

Addressed foreign ambassadors in Tehran on October 4, saying only negotiations 'based on justice and fairness' could end the conflict. Briefed his cabinet on the late-September UN trip, where he floated Iran's conditions: lift the blockade, release frozen assets, waive oil sanctions, and reopen the Strait within seven days.

Oil prices have fallen sharply. Brent touched $89.65 on November 10, its lowest since August 31, and traded near $92, about 23% below the October 30 peak near $118. President Trump said he would hold off on further strikes on Iran after appeals from regional countries, while keeping the US naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

Updated Yesterday

Said on November 8 that Iran could reopen Hormuz within two days rather than seven if Washington ends the war on all fronts, unfreezes assets and lifts oil sanctions; held talks with 12 foreign ministers in 48 hours.

Iran said two oil tankers hit mines and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz on November 8. A third vessel also burned, bringing the number of ships hit since the start of November to at least 12. The US military disabled a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Oman, and Iran's Revolutionary Guard later disabled navigation systems on four tankers using a route it considers unauthorized. Ship tracking put Hormuz traffic at about 5% of pre-war levels on November 10.

Updated Yesterday

Said on November 1 that mediators had a two-day plan to reopen the strait

Iran's parliament has still not voted on the bill that would write its Strait of Hormuz rules into law, and no date is set. On October 29, the Revolutionary Guard said three tankers caught fire after hitting mines in the strait; Iran's armed forces put the number at four. US Central Command denied that commercial ships were hitting mines in the main transit lanes.

Updated 2 days ago

Says Washington's reply to Iran's Hormuz plan is 'unconvincing' and the strait stays shut until Iran's demands are met

A U.S. fighter jet destroyed an Iranian surface-to-air missile launcher on Qeshm Island on the night of Nov. 2, after the Revolutionary Guard fired at an American aircraft over the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported. A U.S. official called the strikes on Iranian targets in the strait 'defensive,' and they came the night before midterm elections.

Updated 2 days ago

Said on Nov 1 that Qatar-mediated talks produced a two-day plan in which the US would act first, allowing Iran to reopen the Strait.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said on Nov 8 that three oil tankers it called "rogue" were hit by explosions and caught fire near Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz ([aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/11/8/iran-war-live-explosions-hit-qeshm-us-moves-to-block-land-supply-routes)). The claim was not independently verified, and it came as tanker attacks continued despite a US naval blockade and months of diplomacy.

Updated 3 days ago

Says the Strait of Hormuz stays closed until Washington accepts Tehran's terms; said in early November that an Iranian delegation was in Doha and that a two-day reopening plan was under discussion

Three U.S. carrier strike groups are in the region, and the Theodore Roosevelt group, with about 10,000 more personnel, is due by late November. On November 7 the U.S. military launched a task force meant to stop Iran moving weapons and other material overland, Al Jazeera reported.

Updated 3 days ago

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 airstrikes on Iran's military sites, nuclear facilities and leadership. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed, and his son Mojtaba was chosen to replace him. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a route for about a fifth of world oil, and a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire on April 8 was followed by failed talks in Islamabad and a US naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Updated 4 days ago

Said October 31 Iran had proposed a two-day implementation period for a Hormuz deal, down from seven days

The US struck an Iranian air-defense device on Qeshm Island on November 6, and President Donald Trump called the operation 'minor.' Iran said its air defenses destroyed an American MQ-9 drone over the island, while US Central Command described the situation as 'relatively calm.'

Updated 4 days ago

Leading Iran's delegation in deadlocked Qatar-mediated talks with the U.S.

Iran is rebuilding its air defenses with Russian help while fighting a new war with the United States and Israel. The June 2025 war destroyed about a third of Iran's air-defense network, and leaked documents show Tehran agreed to buy 500 Verba shoulder-fired launchers and 2,500 missiles for about €500 million. Separate deals cover S-400 batteries and up to 48 Su-35 fighter jets, and in November 2026 Russia reportedly agreed to add 90 helicopter missile launchers.

Updated 5 days ago

Called the US dialogue offer 'a positive step' on November 1 and said consultations were 'very intensive'; Tehran called Washington's reply to its Hormuz plan 'unconvincing' two days later

Iran said on November 2 that it could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days and restart nuclear talks, shortening a plan it had earlier said would take a week. The offer kept its conditions: the US must lift sanctions on Iranian oil, accept a ceasefire that covers Lebanon, and let ships use a route agreed with Oman under Iranian supervision.

Updated 6 days ago

Called the Vance outreach a 'positive step' but said Iran has no plans to meet US officials; insists Hormuz stays shut until naval restrictions are lifted and $24 billion in frozen assets released.

Brent reached $116 a barrel by November 1 as OPEC met and Saudi Arabia's economy contracted 3.8% under the cost of the war and disrupted oil exports. Saudi Arabia restarted the East-West pipeline and resumed loadings at Yanbu in late September, but attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz kept traffic about 70% below prewar levels. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center recorded 144 maritime incidents in the Hormuz region since February 28, making October the worst month of the war.

Updated Nov 1

Said October 18 that Iran's Hormuz conditions remain unchanged and its seven-day proposal is still on the table

Iran's president and foreign minister attended the UN General Assembly in late September, and the visit led to indirect US-Iran talks through Qatar about reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran offered to reopen the waterway within seven days if Washington lifts its naval blockade, eases oil sanctions, releases frozen assets and ends hostilities on all fronts. President Donald Trump rejected that offer, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered Iran's delegation to leave New York early; Tehran denied being ordered out.

Updated Oct 20

As of September 2026: Pushing for Saudi-Houthi talks; Iran confirms Oman meeting on Hormuz shipping

Ship crossings through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait fell to 15 on Friday, half the previous day's total. Houthi rebels seized Perim Island that day, completing their takeover of the strait that carries 10 to 12 percent of global trade.

Updated Sep 12

As of September 2026: Leading Iran's diplomatic response; accused US of striking civilian infrastructure

The US-Israeli war on Iran began February 28 and displaced up to 3.2 million people inside the country in two weeks, per the UN refugee agency.

Updated Sep 4

As of July 2026: 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

As of July 2026: 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

As of May 2026: 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

As of May 2026: 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

As of May 2026: 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

As of May 2026: 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

As of May 2026: 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

As of May 2026: 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

As of May 2026: 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

As of May 2026: 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

As of May 2026: 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