Dr.. Dr. Karrar Anwar Al-Badiri - Vice President of Ghadan Risk Management
Dr. Karrar Anwar al-Badiri analyzes how Abbas Araqchi, Iran's senior diplomat and foreign minister, sees negotiation as a battlefield rather than a peaceful tool.
Araqchi emphasizes that negotiation in Iranian foreign policy is not an option but a necessity, used to manage risks rather than to resolve conflicts. He offers six forms of Iranian negotiation: to resolve a dispute, to manage it, to counter pressure, to prevent, through mediation, and for the sole purpose of gaining time.
Araqchi believes that power is the main focus of negotiation, as diplomacy is a means of enhancing a state's gains and reducing costs, and comes after military and economic capabilities. He also points out that Iranians revere strength and see compromise as a sign of weakness, which makes them refuse to negotiate from a position of weakness and always seek to negotiate from a position of strength, exploiting the opponent's weakness to achieve gains or acquiescence.
He cites practical examples, including Iran's exploitation of Iraq's weakness in 2009 to exert pressure on the border issue, before the tide turned in Iraq's favor thanks to U.S. technical support. In conclusion, Al-Badiri stresses that Iran views negotiation as a tool to maximize regional power and prestige, not as a means of fair or balanced settlements.
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