Iran‘s Foreign Minister: “No Red Line” in Defending Interests
Well, folks, buckle up! We’ve got Abbas Araghtchi waving his “no red line” banner like it’s a peace flag at a particularly rowdy football match. Yes, that’s right – the Iranian Foreign Minister recently found himself in Baghdad, warning that Tehran isn’t about to hold back when it comes to defending its people and interests, which I suppose is convenient given the whole missile-launching thing!
Now, let’s recap for those of you living under a rock—or perhaps just very happy with your current Netflix subscription. On October 1, Iran decided to unleash a veritable buffet of around 200 missiles towards Israel, following a spate of unfortunate events involving some key players in Hamas and Hezbollah. And by ‘unfortunate,’ I mean they met a rather explosive fate. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant wasn’t about to be left out of this drama, promising a response that would be “deadly, precise and surprising.” Honestly, I can’t even get my takeaway delivered without them promising to surprise me, yet here we are!
What’s next? A game of geopolitical chess over who can make the best tweet? “I’m ready!” shouted Iran, while the rest of the world reaches for the popcorn. But wait! Araghtchi’s diplomatic mission didn’t stop at missile-launching and posturing; no sir! He’s off to consult with various Muslim countries about the “critical situations” in Gaza and Lebanon. Why? Because nothing screams peace and stability quite like a tour of the Middle East while missiles are flying around!
In the realm of irony, we have Baghdad, who’s trying to put on a cool, calm face in all this chaos, insisting they don’t want an “expanded war” and that they categorically refuse to let Iraqi airspace be used for further hostilities. Good luck trying to mediate when everyone else around you is operating on an entirely different frequency – perhaps playing a game of musical chairs with airstrikes instead.
And after all that, what’s next for Araghtchi? Oman’s calling! That’s right, after pit stops in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, he’s off to Oman—almost like a diplomatic royal tour where everyone’s hoping the only fireworks involved are the celebratory kind. My guess is he’ll probably come back with a couple of nice souvenirs and maybe a T-shirt that says, “I survived the Iranian diplomatic adventure.”
So what can we take from all this? The absence of red lines seems to indicate that we’re in for a rather unpredictable ride, and that in diplomatic terms, “silencing guns and violence” is more like a suggestion than a mandate. You’ve got to love the optimism, though. At the rate things are going, perhaps someone will convince them to take up a nice hobby instead – like knitting or competitive baking. It’s bound to be less explosive!
Stay tuned, dear readers, the show is just getting started! As they say in the Middle East: “There are no red lines, except the ones we draw on travel itineraries.”
“No red line” regarding “defense” of Iranian people, says foreign minister
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtchi warned in Baghdad on Sunday that Tehran had not “no red line” regarding “the defense” of its people and its interests, after Israel promised to retaliate for its recent missile attack. “While we have made considerable efforts in recent days to avoid a full-blown war in our region, I make it clear that we have no red line for the defense of our people and our interests”wrote the minister on upon his arrival in Baghdad.
On October 1, Iran launched around two hundred missiles against Israel in response to the assassination in Tehran of the leader of Palestinian Hamas, blamed on Israel, and the death of the leader of Lebanese Hezbollah and a general of the Guards of the Iranian revolution, killed in an Israeli strike near Beirut. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant promised his country’s response would be “deadly, precise and surprising”which Tehran said it was ” ready “.
Mr. Araghtchi’s talks are part of « consultations (…) with Muslim countries on critical situations » in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon “following the genocidal attacks and aggressions of the Israeli regime”declared on X the spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei. His visit aims to “silencing guns and violence (…) and to establish security and stability in the region”said Ali Al-Moussaoui, political advisor to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Chia Al-Soudani.
Baghdad is against “an expanded war” to Iran and a “use of Iraqi airspace”for his part affirmed the Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fouad Hussein. After Baghdad, the head of Iranian diplomacy goes to Oman, according to the Iranian news agency ISNA. On Thursday, Mr. Araghtchi went to Qatar and the day before to Saudi Arabia. He had previously visited Lebanon and Syria.