U.S. Diplomatic Security is providing additional security support for Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, upon his own request.
Despite being in an active war that involved the assassination of dozens of high-ranking Iranian officials, the United States approved visas for two of the most senior figures in Iran — Araghchi and President Masoud Pezeshkian. Araghchi requested U.S. security during his trip to the United Nations General Assembly, according to Axios, a request that was granted after a State Department threat assessment.
The U.S. Diplomatic Security Service said after a “thorough analysis,” the team will provide increased security for Iran’s top foreign policy figure.
Araghchi and Pezeshkian are two of the more moderate figures in the Islamic government, representing the more pragmatic faction as opposed to the hardliners in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The visit of the two senior Iranian figures opens up the possibility of meetings with U.S. officials on the sidelines, which could help revive negotiations that have been stalled for months. Secretary of State Marco Rubio left open the possibility on Tuesday, speaking to NBC’s Today show.
“We’re open to that. I don’t think anything is scheduled at this point, but we’re certainly open to something like that, especially if it has the prospects of leading to something positive and ultimately achieving the goal of what this is all about,” he said.
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Speaking to Reuters, a senior Iranian official offered a carrot to the U.S., saying Tehran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for lifting the U.S. blockade and easing pressure on Iran.
“The U.S. needs to announce that it wants to resolve the issue diplomatically, make that official, and then agree on a timeline for how the process will move forward,” he said, adding that the delegation to the General Assembly has full authority to revive diplomacy with the U.S.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
