Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi criticised for “big gift to Trump”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been criticised for meeting US President’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, with Iranian political circles and media outlets describing the FM’s arguments in favour of the talks as “naive” and the meeting itself as a “big gift to Trump.”

Critics said Iran’s demands had already been conveyed to the United States through intermediaries on several occasions, meaning that reiterating them could not serve as grounds for direct contacts, Caliber.Az reports, citing Tasnim.

Particular criticism was directed at reports that Araghchi agreed to the meeting due to the “persistence” of the US side.

According to his opponents, such contacts contradict directives issued by Iranian state bodies responsible for determining the country’s foreign policy and could be used by Washington to ease pressure on the US and its allies.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov