Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaie said he refused to shake hands with US Vice President JD Vance during their recent talks, quoting a poem by the Persian poet Rumi: 'There are many demons with human faces; not every hand is worthy of a handshake.' Baghaie stressed the Iranian delegation came solely to implement the memorandum of understanding, not for show.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaie explained Saturday evening why he deliberately declined to shake hands with US Vice President JD Vance during their recent diplomatic engagement, citing a classical Persian poem. In a statement carried by Iranian state-aligned Telegram channels, Baghaie quoted the 13th-century poet Rumi: 'There are many demons with human faces; not every hand is worthy of a handshake.' He insisted the Iranian delegation traveled to the talks with a single purpose — implementing the signed memorandum of understanding — and not for public relations. The handshake snub had been widely noted in media coverage of the US-Iran talks. As The Zioneer reported on June 22, Vance himself described Iranian negotiators as 'very confusing' to deal with in an interview. Baghaie's remarks mark an unusually pointed public justification of the episode, blending diplomatic messaging with cultural symbolism. The MOU between Washington and Tehran was signed earlier this month, but tensions over implementation and mutual trust remain high.
- StrongIranian delegation refused handshake with US team in Geneva talks, source says
- DevelopingJD Vance says he finds Iranians 'very confusing' as negotiating partners
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- ConfirmedIranian spokesman: MoU signing by presidents under consideration; Baghaie corrects claim about Khamenei's appearance
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