Dubai, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Regarding biographies, the two men in charge of Delicate negotiations between Iran And the United States on the Nuclear Nuclear Program in advance of Tehran could not be more different.
On the American side, billionaire real estate magnate Steve Witkoff Maisse the effort of the administration of President Donald Trump to restrict the atomic program of Tehran, which, according to them, could allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon. The developer born in the Bronx finds himself typed by Trump to deliver The Russian-Ukraine War And The War of Israel-Hamas In addition – two conflicts that show no signs of stopping.
The representation of Iran is the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Arabhchi, who, like many of his generation, is a veteran of the bloody war of Iran-Iraq. He climbed the levels of the Iranian diplomatic corps and was a trusted negotiator during the talks that led to the 2015 nuclear agreement in 2015 with the world powers.
If the two men find common ground in high issues negotiations, with A second round that should take place on Saturday in Romecould mean success or failure in talks. At risk is a possible American or Israeli military strike on Iranian nuclear sites, or the Iranians who followed their threats to pursue an atomic weapon.
Abbas Araghchi, 62
Arriving in Tokyo as a new Iranian ambassador in 2008, Araghchi received the equivalent of a diplomatic rave review – from the American embassy of all places.
“Araghchi is a young diplomat, kind, polite and accomplished. … Anyone with a limited understanding of the facts would go away after hearing it with the idea that Iran looked back and tried everything possible to please the West without result,” said a March 2008 cable on Araghchi released by Wikileaks.
“Even when he expressed Iran’s desire to challenge the international community, his message was delivered uniformly and in a rational tone. He gives off an air of a discreet but passionate belief in the position he argues. “
The discreet style was a trademark of Araghchi, which carefully traveled the line between the Dureurs and the reformists within the theocracy of Iran. This contrasts strongly with the more emotional style of the Minister of the time, Mohammad Javad Zarif, who concluded the 2015 nuclear agreement with the world powers and concluded a close relationship with the State Secretary of the State, John Kerry.
Araghchi, who managed certain negotiations for the agreement, pointed out on the magnitude of their work, the more the agreement was materialized, describing the agreement as “one of the most important documents in the history of Iran”.
“Two and a half years of intense negotiations had reached their last trying moments,” wrote Araghchi in a game of “A Sealed Secret: The JCPOA: A Great effort for the Rights, Security and Development of Iran”, a book in Farsi on discussions. “Our night sleep has been reduced to about an hour. Hundreds of millions of people around the world were watching, and 80 million Iranians were anxious and expected. ”
Born in Isfahan in a rich family of religious merchants, Araghchi carries the honorary “Seyed”, marking him as a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad of Islam. He was a teenager when the Islamic revolution of 1979 overthrew the Shah and installed the country’s theocracy.
Araghchi joined the revolutionary goalkeeper and fought in the 1980-1988 war against Iraq, although the details on his service are not publicly known. The guard was then not the massive organization that it is today, a paramilitary arm of Iran supervising its arsenal of ballistic missiles with deep interests in the economy of the country.
While largely by avoiding controversy, politics has affected its career in the past. Under the hard president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Araghchi found himself in Japan in the first place as part of a power struggle within the government on nuclear negotiations at the time.
“Put Araghchi aside, said Ahmadinejad” at the time, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said Araghchi in “Iran-Taishi: Memoirs of Abbas Araghchi, Iran ambassador to Japan”, a memory of his time in Tokyo. “Not only of the negotiator team, but also the post of Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of international affairs.”
Steve Witkoff, 68
Speaking before the Republican National Convention in July 2024, Witkoff found himself completely catapulted from the world of real estate in politics. But it was spoken of his son Andrew, who died in 2011 who humanized him to the delegates.
“When I lost my boy Andrew because of an opioid overdose, the pain was unbearable,” Witkoff told thousands. “But as usual, Donald Trump arose.”
This long and close relationship with Trump includes being with the president on a Florida golf course when he was targeted An assassination attempt in September. And the president has since sentenced to Witkoff some of the most prolonged situations that he is confronted with regard to global geopolitics.
To Trump, whose all identity as a businessman and politician has turned around the conclusion of agreements, Witkoff represents someone he can understand. Forbes estimates that the wealth of Witkoff at around $ 2 billion, carried out through his group Witkoff, which has developed apartments, golf courses and hotels in the United States and internationally. He has also done business with sovereign funds from the Middle East – which often serve as direct vehicles for the autocratic leaders of the region.
After Trump won the elections, Witkoff worked with outgoing Biden administration to guarantee a ceasefire In the War of Israel-Hamas in the Gaza Strip in January. Witkoff, who is Jewish, has worked to convince Israel to accept the conditions. Israel is in Iranian Armenème in the Middle East and has threatened to destroy it several times over the years.
The cease-fire collapsed, however, on March 18 after Israel launched a wave of air strikes that killed hundreds of Palestinians through Gaza. Israel and the United States blamed hostilities renewed to Hamas’ refusal to release more hostages before negotiations on the end of the war procedure-which was not part of the cease-fire agreement.
Then there are high -level negotiations on the war of Russia against Ukraine. So far, this war has not yet ended despite Trump’s diplomatic campaign, in particular a series of talks held in Saudi Arabia. Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin himself as part of this push. Witkoff attended Has war in Ukraine with European allies Just before the second cycle of negotiations with Iran.
While passing successfully through the first series of negotiations with Araghchi – and meeting him face to face – Witkoff was faced with the question of negotiating on Iran. He made an appearance on television in which he suggested an enrichment of 3.67% for Iran could be something on which countries could get along. But it is exactly the terms established by the 2015 nuclear agreement concluded under the American president Barack Obama, from which Trump unilaterally withdrew America.
Witkoff a few hours later, a statement underlined something: “An agreement with Iran will only be concluded if it is a Trump agreement.”
“Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and armament program,” added Witkoff. This immediately led to Critics of Iran, which, for a long time, should have access to enrichment.
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Vahdat reported in Tehran, Iran. The writer Associated Press Nasser Karimi in Tehran contributed to this report.
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