Iran International
In his first state TV interview as Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi on Friday hinted at a diplomatic shift, stating that ongoing tensions with the West shouldn't burden the Iranian nation.
"The overarching approach of the 14th administration's foreign policy reflects a nuanced balance between continuity and transformation," Araghchi said. He suggested that should Europe abandon its “aggressive” stance, "they will become Iran’s priority" once more—a position currently occupied by Russia and China.
The statement comes amid a backdrop of strained relations between the EU and Iran, with the bloc accusing Tehran of failing to curb its nuclear activities, supporting Palestinian militant group Hamas, backing Russia's aggression in Ukraine, and committing human rights violations.
Regarding relations with the US, Araghchi said that tensions exist between the two countries and that "In our foreign policy, it is our responsibility to minimize the costs of the [US] aggression to the greatest extent possible and to avert the formation of an international consensus against us," Araghchi said.
Although similar nuanced statements by Iranian officials in recent weeks are far from being a clear signal of a significant foreign policy shift, they could be attempts to explore the diplomatic environment prior to the US elections.
Additionally, Iran has so far refrained from retaliating against the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. With Europe and the US firmly backing Israel and labeling Iran as a regional sponsor of terrorism, any aggressive move could solidify Iran's position as the antagonist in the eyes of the international community. Moreover, with Iran's economy in dire straits, even the desire to respond might be overshadowed by the harsh realities of their financial limitations.
Meanwhile, Tehran appears intent on conveying that this restraint is not a sign of weakness but rather a deliberate display of strategic flexibility—or perhaps even an act of calculated magnanimity. Araghchi, after all, had earlier asserted that retaliation remains Iran's right, making it clear that any decision to withhold action is deliberate, not due to lack of resolve.
Araghchi already appears to be setting his diplomatic wheels in motion. On Thursday, he called for dialogue with the European Union to address bilateral issues following a conversation with the bloc’s top diplomat.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes the development of relations with the European Union in an environment based on mutual respect,” Araghchi stated late Thursday.
In a subtle move that could yet be another signal of a shift in tone, Iran extended congratulations to Ukraine on its Independence Day on Saturday. This gesture comes despite its ongoing support for Russia, including the supply of hundreds of Shahed drones since mid-2022, which have been used extensively to target civilian infrastructure and urban centers in Ukraine.
Whether this gesture signifies a significant change or a deft diplomatic maneuver remains uncertain, and Russia’s response to Iran’s potential diplomatic recalibration will undoubtedly draw keen attention.
Araghchi's Friday statements hinted at a nuanced recalibration in Iran's foreign policy, but he anchored every remark in the words of the Supreme Leader. He acknowledged a strategic pivot towards unity between the presidential administration and the "nezam" (regime) citing this as a key issue in the West's troubled relationship with Iran.
For many years, it has been evident that Tehran's officials often present a narrative to the West suggesting that Supreme Leader Khamenei must be persuaded to take any significant conciliatory steps. However, this tactic appears to have lost its impact, as the West increasingly sees any perceived divergence within the Iranian establishment—especially from Khamenei, the ultimate decision-maker—as largely inconsequential.
Araghchi also highlighted the Supreme Leader’s dual strategy: On one hand, there is the long-standing tactic of circumventing sanctions—a practice he subtly indicated falls outside the Foreign Ministry’s purview. On the other hand, the immediate and pressing priority is the removal of sanctions, primarily through negotiations with the West.
The practice of circumventing sanctions, often driven by the Revolutionary Guards, has not only failed to bolster the economy but has also exacerbated many of Iran's current challenges by fueling widespread corruption through illicit activities such as money laundering.
“During a meeting with members of Parliament, the Supreme Leader emphasized that sanctions can be lifted through honorable means, and it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to initiate and lead these efforts,” Araghchi said.
"If the opportunity arises to lift the sanctions, we will not hesitate for even an hour; our commitment to removing these sanctions—whether through negotiation or any other honorable and dignified means—will be unwavering and persistent," he added.
This tonal shift has subtly surfaced among Iran's leadership in recent days. On Friday, Iranian lawmaker Mojtaba Zonnour, once famously known for symbolically burning a copy of the 2015 nuclear deal in parliament, expressed support for the accord, provided broad consensus exists on its revival.
Even figures typically associated with more hardline rhetoric are signaling a change. Hassan Aboutorabi-Fard, Tehran's Interim Friday Prayer Imam, remarked that "the Islamic Republic has become a tangle of unresolved problems," cautioning that "if we neglect reform today, tomorrow may indeed be too late."
These officials are associated with both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. The company attributed these attempts to APT42, an Iranian hacker group widely believed to be linked to an intelligence division within Iran's military. This group has a history of conducting invasive surveillance operations, often targeting political figures and activists abroad.
According to Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, the hacking attempts were identified as part of a "small cluster of likely social engineering activity on WhatsApp." The attackers reportedly posed as technical support representatives from companies like AOL, Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft to gain unauthorized access. However, Meta intervened quickly, blocking the accounts after they were flagged as suspicious. There is no evidence that any targeted WhatsApp accounts were successfully compromised.
Earlier this month, Microsoft and Google reported attempts to breach US presidential campaigns ahead of the November election. The hackers appeared to have focused their efforts on political and diplomatic officials, business leaders, and other public figures in the US, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and the UK.
Last week, US intelligence agencies, including the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), issued a joint statement confirming Iranian state actors' involvement in recent cyberattacks targeting former President Trump's campaign. The statement highlighted an escalation in Iranian efforts to interfere with the ongoing election cycle, particularly through influence operations and cyber activities aimed at compromising presidential campaigns from both political parties.
According to a Friday report by Reuter, APT42, also known in the cybersecurity community as "Charming Kitten," is notorious for its sophisticated cyber espionage operations. The group has a well-documented history of placing surveillance software on the mobile phones of its targets, enabling them to record calls, steal texts, and even activate cameras and microphones remotely. This invasive approach poses a significant threat, especially given the group's focus on high-value targets in Washington and Israel.
Researchers from Mandiant, a leading US cybersecurity firm, told Reuters about the physical dangers of APT42's activities. There are documented cases where the group's cyber-surveillance preceded the physical targeting of Iranian activists and protesters, some of whom were subsequently imprisoned or threatened in Iran.
Tehran has consistently denied involvement in these cyber activities. In response to the recent US intelligence report attributing the Trump campaign hack to Iranian state actors, Iran's mission to the United Nations in a statement last week described the allegations as "unsubstantiated and devoid of any standing." It emphasized that Iran has neither the intention nor the motive to interfere in the US presidential election and challenged the US to provide concrete evidence of the alleged interference.
These developments seem to be part of a broader pattern of increasing Iranian cyber activities aimed at influencing the US presidential election. Reports from earlier this summer also suggested that Iran had devised a scheme to assassinate Trump, though Tehran has denied these allegations as well.
Catherin Perez-Shakdam, a French analyst, Middle East expert, who leads the advocacy group We Believe in Israel, came face-to-face with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei in 2017 after being invited for a private visit by the top leader.
"He was very slow in his movements but it's very calculated," she spoke of Iran's Supreme Leader.
She described her encounter with him as an "out of body" experience where she was advised not to make eye contact with him.
Shakdam said she was asked by the establishment to write for Khamenei's website. That included conducting several interviews, one of them being with George Galloway, a British MP who had previously been criticized for his appearances on Iran-backed Press TV.
In 2022, Fars news website, affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, published a statement to reject reports about Shakdam contributing to the English version of Khamenei’s website. The statement added that Khamenei.ir doesn’t have any columnist and Shakdam has no direct connection with the website.
However, it confirmed that Shakdam sent articles and opinion pieces on issues related to Islam and the Islamic Revolution to the website from about 2015 to 2017 that were published on the site.
How did a French Jew befriend Iran's ruling elite?
It was an encounter that was years in the making as she was groomed into becoming a mouth piece for the Islamic Republic by Nader Talebzadeh, Iran's chief propogandist who has since passed away.
He ensured that Skakdam's rise within Iran's government and IRGC ranks was met with no resistance, believing, she said that he could turn her into a pawn that he could control.
Shakdam first gained attention from the Iranian regime after she wrote an opinion piece for the Yemen Observer, where she criticized U.S. intervention in Iraq. In 2009, she moved to Yemen after marrying a Yemeni man, with whom she had two children. The couple has since divorced.
She said she was asked to appear as a commentator on Iranian state-media channels. She slowly started to get connections, befriending the upper elite, gaining their trust where they began to invite her to Iran on more official visits. She said they thought she could be manipulated to spread their message to Yemen and the western world too.
Once she had her in, she said she became Iran's 'favorite' Yemeni expert, featured on several Iran state media outlets, and was also featured as an Op-ed write from Russia Today (RT). Talebzadeh, she said, was involved.
"I was always very careful to let them lead. If you come up on the invitation of the leadership no one at the airport would ever dare question you."
She also said being a women meant she wasn't seen as a threat.
That led to more meetings with the likes of Qasem Soleimani, a top General, who was killed by a US airstrike in January 2020. He was regarded as a powerful man and even hailed as a hero by IRGC sympathizers.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, once called him a “living martyr of the revolution.” In the West, he was viewed as ruthless and was the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, which was deemed to be a foreign terrorist organization by the US and Canada.
She met with Soleimani in Southern Iraq, again under the invitation of Talabzadeh.
Shakdam told Iran International her interaction with him was brief at someone's house in Karbala. He reportedly spoke of his efforts to push ISIS out of some parts of Syria and Iraq.
"It wasn't a very comfortable conversation...he scared me. He was terrifying."
She also met with two of Iran's former presidents.
Her motivation, why do this?
Shakdam says what motivated her was not curiosity, but anger.
Over time, she developed resentment in Yemen as a Jewish woman who wore a hijab and felt that her children's identity was being stripped from them. Shakdam said she felt antisemitism growing inside the country.
She also saw shifts in Yemeni society with a growing influence of the Islamic Republic spreading an ideology she described as a "cancer." Shakdam attributes Iran's perceived infiltration of the country to growing sectarian violence that has led to its downfall.
"I saw it as a form of colonization through indoctrination," she said.
Yemen is the site of civilian suffering amid a civil war. Many analysts say the fighting, which is now more than seven years old, has turned into a proxy war with Iran-backed Houthis, who overthrew the Yemeni government, against a coalition led by Saudi Arabia.
Going undercover in Iran as a sympathizer, she said, helped her understand the threat. Just how effective has it been an thwarting the threat has yet to be determined, but she can at least share her knowledge and her warnings.
"I wanted to establish what is it they [Iran] wanted?"
Speaking about her experiences on Eye for Iran, Shakdam said the Iranian establishment is after Western civilization in a bid to subvert democracy and hijack institutions. She said the nation has already managed to infiltrate Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq - and that it can be done here too.
She said Iran has established networks of influence in the West like in the United Kingdom, which is where she currently resides, through the guise of British education centres, think-tanks and charities.
"Wake up world, " she said "When they [Islamic Republic] say death to American, this is death to democracy."
Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen to it on Apple, Spotify or Amazon.