<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">In the final days of the 36th Tehran International Book Fair, and coinciding with the concluding ceremony of the "Book and Diplomacy" series of sessions organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Center for Political and International Studies, the Ministry's publications booth hosted H.E. Dr. Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, on Thursday, May 15, 2025.</p> <p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">In his address, he defined "smart power" as a combination of soft and hard power, emphasizing that diplomats at the negotiating table rely on the strength and backing of their nation. Dr. Araghchi likened negotiations to a battlefield, identifying national power as the principal factor enabling diplomats to secure advantages in this domain. He also referred to the culture of "bazaar-style negotiation" or haggling prevalent among Iranians as a common negotiating tactic.</p> <p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">The Foreign Minister went on to elaborate on "indirect negotiations," citing as an example the maritime boundary demarcation talks between Lebanon and the Zionist entity, where the parties did not even convene together for the signing of the accord. He described this method as one of the effective approaches within negotiating processes.</p> <p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">In the concluding part of the ceremony, books authored by Dr. Araghchi, along with 54 new publications from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were unveiled.</p> <p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"> </p>