The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on the 5th that Foreign Minister Araghchi departed today for Beijing, China, to begin a visit.
The Foreign Ministry shared a photo of Araghchi boarding the plane via its social media account, showing Meraj Airlines flight IRAN05 A321, registration EP-SSN.
During the visit, he will exchange views with Chinese officials on bilateral relations and developments in regional and international affairs.
In the photo, only Araghchi is present—unlike previous diplomatic trips to countries such as Pakistan, when he was accompanied by multiple deputy foreign ministers, creating a much larger delegation.
Iran’s deputy foreign ministers are nearly all experts on nuclear issues, making Iran's foreign ministry arguably the most knowledgeable in the world on nuclear matters. This stands in stark contrast to the U.S., which has sent two Jewish businessmen as negotiation representatives.
Araghchi’s visit to Beijing likely doesn’t require bringing along numerous experts; his main objective appears to be aligning politically with China.
Araghchi departed after consultations with foreign counterparts, and tomorrow marks the first working day following the May Day long holiday—making the arrival of the Iranian delegation the diplomatic team’s very first task upon returning to work.
Araghchi could not wait any longer.
Before Trump arrives, Iranians have already reached Beijing.
In fact, talks between the U.S. and Iran are ongoing. Iran’s recent aggressive actions in the Strait, including forcing back U.S. warships, demonstrated strong offensive posture—but the U.S. did not respond comprehensively, and Trump merely issued verbal threats, showing restraint and clearly not aiming to restart conflict.
Both sides are negotiating, though not always at the negotiating table.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864347547628554/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.