Iranian Foreign Minister told hardline MPs to criticise him publicly for negotiating with US: Report

An Iranian MP has alleged that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has asked his MPs to criticise him and his ministry's performance in talks with the US so that he can "use it to boost his bargaining power." This comes as the Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that the second round of talks with the US will be held in Rome, as requested by the US.

 

Hamid Rasaei, a hardline MP, said he was asked by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to criticize the Foreign Ministry's performance. "Araghchi asked us for some criticism, some pressure ... Common sense says that as a member of parliament, I should use criticism to strengthen his bargaining power," Rasaei told a local Iranian newspaper.

 

"For example, we say the negotiators must never bring enrichment below 60%, so that when he goes to the negotiating table, he can tell them: "No matter what you say, we can't comply because the representatives of the people in parliament won't allow us," he added. 

 

Iranian local media were abound with reports that the country's ultraconservative hardliners had vehemently opposed the Iran-US talks, 

 

The divide among Iran's ultraconservatives began at least a month before the latest round of Iran-US talks, but it has since escalated into an open rift, with most hardliners now backing away from their earlier opposition to negotiations. The hardliners had insisted that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei oppose any negotiations with the US, stating that there was no possibility of Iran engaging in talks with anyone from the Trump administration.

 

But their defence of their stance crumbled when it became almost evident that the talks had occurred with the Supreme Leader's consent. The hardliners had expected that Khamenei would rebuke Araghchi and their team but were surprised when he chose to remain silent. 

 

However, some of them lambasted Araghchi for breaking the promise of "not engaging in direct talks" by meeting US envoy Steve Witkoff. Further controversy ensued after the ultraconservatives fractured into several factions, with some openly insulting the negotiators.

 

However, Hamid Rasaei's statement has cast doubts over the stance adopted by the hardliners in the Islamic Republic. 

Middle East