Iran’s latest diplomatic outreach to the United States has drawn criticism from hardliners at home, with lawmakers seeking to impeach Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi over his meetings with US officials in New York.
Ali Khezrian, a member of Iran’s parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said Thursday that an impeachment motion against Araghchi had been formally submitted, reported Iranian media.
While US officials described the interactions in favourable terms, Iranian officials said Tehran had used the channel to convey its conditions for bringing the conflict to an end.
Hard-line voices in Iran slammed Araghchi over his engagement with the United States at the United Nations, prompting a public exchange between rival political camps in Tehran.
Later that day, Trump described a meeting between his envoys, Witkoff and Kushner, and Iranian officials as “a very good meeting”.
Iran’s latest diplomatic outreach to the United States has drawn criticism from hardliners at home, with lawmakers seeking to impeach Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi over his meetings with US officials in New York.
Ali Khezrian, a member of Iran’s parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said Thursday that an impeachment motion against Araghchi had been formally submitted, reported Iranian media. He alleged that the foreign minister engaged with American officials without receiving the necessary approval.
“Members of parliament have registered the impeachment of Araghchi and are pursuing it,” Khezrian stated, as per reports. He added that the foreign minister would have to appear before parliament and provide an explanation after his return from New York. According to Khezrian, Araghchi would also be required to clarify “on what basis this conversation with the American side took place.”
A report published by Iran’s Tasnim News Agency claimed that Araghchi’s interaction with United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff took place without coordination with or approval from the relevant policymaking and responsible bodies, including the Supreme National Security Council.
“Certain claims that this action was coordinated are untrue. Araqchi must be held accountable to the relevant bodies and the people of Iran for this wrong action, which contradicts national interests, and explain by what calculation he made this great mistake," the report said.
Iranian media reports also said Tehran MP Amirhossein Sabeti had formally submitted the impeachment motion through parliament’s electronic system. The request is set to be sent to the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission for review.
The move follows the reopening of a diplomatic channel between Iran and the United States just days earlier on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
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During Qatar-mediated discussions, Araghchi held talks with Witkoff and United States Special Envoy for Peace Jared Kushner. While US officials described the interactions in favourable terms, Iranian officials said Tehran had used the channel to convey its conditions for bringing the conflict to an end.
The controversy has highlighted differing views within Iran over the extent of the negotiating powers granted to its representatives.
Before the discussions, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that the delegation sent to New York had “full authority” to resume diplomatic engagement with Washington.
Why Araghchi met with ‘aggressor enemy’? asks Iranian Lawmaker However, opponents of the talks have alleged that Araghchi exceeded the scope of his mandate.
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Questions over the talks surfaced publicly on Wednesday, after media outlets affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and several lawmakers challenged the reported direct engagement with Witkoff. Hardline voices maintained that Tehran’s agreed approach was to convey its demands through intermediaries, rather than negotiate directly with US representatives.
Hard-line voices in Iran slammed Araghchi over his engagement with the United States at the United Nations, prompting a public exchange between rival political camps in Tehran.
In a post on X, Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei called on Araghchi to explain his decision to meet with “the aggressor enemy.”
Ali Ahmadnia, a media official affiliated with Iran’s president, hit back by sharing an AI-generated image portraying Araghchi as a wounded warrior.
“How can a soldier be on the battlefield while the home front is being weakened from within?! The Iranian delegation in New York operates in full coordination with the relevant institutions," Ahmadnia wrote on X.
Iranian President says ‘We are not terrorists’ amid Trump’s UN warning Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke before world leaders a day after US President Donald Trump addressed the same forum and suggested he could “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if a deal was not reached soon to bring the nearly seven-month-long war to an end.
Iran's president said his country's people had been the “victims of terrorism” by the US.
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“We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists. Our innocent people have been the targets of cowardly attacks and aggressions imposed upon our country," he stated.
Later that day, Trump described a meeting between his envoys, Witkoff and Kushner, and Iranian officials as “a very good meeting”. Tehran, however, sought to play down the significance of the discussions, with Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei saying they were “not anything new.”
Rubio outlines US position US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Wednesday that Trump was still willing to reach an agreement “that allows Iran to be what it should be, which is a great and prosperous country.”
