Reza Najafi Returned to Vienna as Iran's Permanent Representative

Najafi, born in Tehran in 1963, holds a doctorate in international law from Tehran and was Iran's envoy to the Vienna organizations from 2013 to 2018. His diplomatic career stretches back to 1993 and includes positions at the OPCW, the Iranian UN mission in New York, and as Director of Disarmament at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Until recently, he served as deputy foreign minister for International Legal Affairs—a clear indication of his weight in Iranian foreign policy.

His reputation: objective, principled, but assertive. His diplomatic style: calm, analytical, focused on strategic balance - always in the service of Iranian interests.

Return amid new nuclear negotiations

His reappointment comes at a time of high tension, as Vindobona.org reports. After years of stagnation surrounding the nuclear agreement, Tehran is currently trying once again to find a solution through diplomatic channels - initially with the European parties to the JCPOA (“E3”: Germany, France, and the UK), and later possibly also with the USA. An initial exploratory meeting with the E3 could take place shortly - depending on whether the indirect talks with the United States on Oman materialize.

Vienna will once again play a central role in this context. The city already served as a negotiating venue for the original agreement in 2015. Its neutrality, its security infrastructure, and its established role as a diplomatic hub predestine it for a resumption of talks. As Iran's representative on the ground, Najafi could become one of the most important players in this new round of negotiations.

Between the IAEA, trust and geopolitical pressure

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), based in Vienna, is once again at the center of the debate. Its Director General Rafael Grossi is demanding more transparency from Tehran, particularly with regard to new tunnel facilities near Natanz. Iran, on the other hand, is calling for neutrality and a purely technical interpretation of the IAEA's mandate - without political influence from the USA or the E3 states.

Najafi is familiar with this delicate situation: during his first term of office, he was the IAEA's central point of contact and defended Iran's positions without allowing the dialog to break off. Today, he will take on this role again - under difficult circumstances, but with many years of experience under his belt.

Beijing-Moscow-Tehran axis: new alliances in the background

Right at the beginning of his term of office, Najafi met with his Chinese and Russian counterparts, China's permanent representative to the IAEA, Ambassador Li Song, and the Russian IAEA envoy Mikhail Ulyanov. The common message: only dialog and mutual respect can save the nuclear agreement.

Li Song emphasized China's position: Iran has a right to the peaceful use of nuclear technology as long as the country is committed to cooperation. China expressly praised the IAEA as a neutral actor and emphasized its support for Iran's right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy - a position that Najafi also reaffirmed in bilateral talks with Chinese UN Ambassador Li Song. Najafi in turn emphasized that Iran is striving for a strategic partnership with China, especially in the multilateral context of Vienna. Russia and China, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, are seen as decisive counterweights to the Western line in the nuclear dispute.

This axis of cooperation between Tehran, Beijing, and Moscow - with Vienna as the stage - could become a counterbalancing dynamic in the multilateral game. For Najafi, this means a delicate balancing act: he must simultaneously keep bridges open to the West and deepen the strategic partnerships with China and Russia.

A difficult dialog

However, the situation remains fragile: the USA under former President Trump unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018. Sanctions and countermeasures followed, and diplomatic threats were constantly being made. Most recently, Trump even hinted at military action if an agreement could not be reached. At the same time, Iran's new government under President Massud Peseshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is trying to make a new diplomatic start. Najafi is part of this course - as Tehran's extended arm in Europe's multilateral diplomacy center.

While IAEA inspectors are preparing for new talks on-site to discuss the reinstallation of surveillance cameras, for example, Vienna remains perhaps the last place where consensus is still possible. Reza Najafi is therefore more than just a diplomat - he is a figure in Vienna of a new attempt to save the JCPOA, revive multilateral dialog, and protect Iranian interests.

UNIS United Nations Information Service

Iranian Permanent Mission to the UN in Vienna