Image: گفتوگو با عراقچی وزیر امور خارجه جمهوری اسلامی ایران – By Khamenei.ir, CC BY 4.0, (Wikipedia)
By Staff Writer with Agencies
Tehran, May 9, 2025 – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is set to embark on a key diplomatic mission to Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Saturday, signaling a continued effort by Tehran to strengthen ties with regional neighbors amid renewed international attention on nuclear negotiations.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei confirmed that Araghchi’s trip would begin in Riyadh, where he is expected to meet with senior Saudi officials. The names of those he will meet have not been disclosed. The visit is framed within Iran’s “principled policy of strengthening relations with neighboring countries,” Baghaei said, as reported by the official IRNA news agency.
Following his stop in Saudi Arabia, Araghchi will travel to Doha later the same day to participate in the Arab-Iranian Dialogue Forum. While the length and specific agenda of the forum have not been made public, the event is expected to touch on a range of regional cooperation and security issues.
This diplomatic outreach comes at a particularly sensitive moment. U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to begin a Middle East tour on Tuesday, a trip that observers believe will heavily focus on regional alliances and the ongoing Iranian nuclear issue.
Even more imminently, Iran and the United States are expected to engage in a fourth round of indirect nuclear talks in Muscat, Oman, on Sunday. Oman and Italy have co-hosted three previous rounds of these behind-the-scenes negotiations since April 12, aimed at reviving or reworking the nuclear agreement abandoned by the U.S. in 2018.
Araghchi, a seasoned negotiator and key figure in Iran’s nuclear diplomacy, is expected to use his visits to Riyadh and Doha to both reassure regional powers and gauge their positions ahead of Sunday’s high-stakes discussions.
The overlapping timelines of regional outreach, U.S. diplomacy, and nuclear negotiations suggest that the coming week could prove pivotal for both Iran’s foreign policy and the future of its nuclear program.