Washington, June 20
As an agreement between the US and Iran aimed at restoring peace in West Asia comes into effect, here is a look at the key players shaping diplomacy on all sides.
Donald Trump:
The US president, who has focused much of his second-term foreign policy on presenting himself as a peacemaker, has been the driving force behind the push for a deal with Iran. He has positioned the deal as a signature foreign policy achievement of his second term. Trump signed the peace agreement to end the war with Iran.
JD Vance:
The US vice president has been a key figure in the administration’s war cabinet, helping shape Washington’s negotiating posture as the conflict entered its fourth month. Vance has been closely involved in deliberations over the terms of the 14-point memorandum of understanding that forms the basis of the emerging deal. He led the US delegation during the marathon talks with Iran held in Islamabad in early April, even though both sides failed to clinch a deal then.
Steve Witkoff:
Trump’s special envoy and point man for West Asia, Witkoff, has led the American negotiating team in back-channel talks with Iranian interlocutors. He has been instrumental in hammering out the framework deal, working closely with Pakistani mediators to bridge the gaps between the two sides.
Jared Kushner:
Trump’s son-in-law and a former senior White House adviser, now operating in an informal capacity, has been part of the broader American diplomatic effort, drawing on his West Asia contacts from Trump’s first term to help facilitate the negotiations, alongside Witkoff and Vance.
Mojtaba Khamenei:
He succeeded his father as Iran’s supreme leader and played a decisive, if largely behind-the-scenes, role in the peace talks. Khamenei endorsed direct negotiations with the US and approved the memorandum of understanding, despite his reservations, after receiving assurances that Iran’s national interests and regional allies would be protected.
Masoud Pezeshkian:
The Iranian president emerged as the public face of Tehran’s diplomatic push, helping steer the negotiations through Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and securing the backing of the country’s top leadership. Pezeshkian signed the memorandum of understanding with the US, aimed at restoring peace in West Asia.
Ali Larijani:
The secretary of the powerful Supreme National Security Council was the de facto leader of Iran after the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28 until his own killing in mid-March in US-Israeli strikes.
Abbas Araghchi:
The Foreign Minister emerged as one of Iran’s most influential voices in foreign affairs during the conflict with the US. Araghchi has played a key role in managing Iran’s relationships with global powers, neighbouring countries, and international institutions. He has been the main representative for Iran in discussions with Pakistan’s mediating team.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf:
The Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, viewed as a hardliner, has been a key figure in Iran’s peace talks with the United States. He was Iran’s chief negotiator in the first direct talks with the US in decades, held in Islamabad in early April.