Background

The Strategic Council on Foreign Relations became central to the 2026 Iran conflict when its chairman, Kamal Kharazi, was struck at his Tehran home on 1 April 2026 while coordinating the only functioning diplomatic back-channel between Iran and the United States via Pakistan.

The Council operates as a parallel advisory structure to the Supreme Leader, separate from Iran's formal Foreign Ministry led by Abbas Araghchi. Established in the early 2000s under President Khatami, it provides policy recommendations on international affairs and maintains informal diplomatic contacts that the Foreign Ministry cannot Conduct officially. Kharazi has chaired it since leaving the Foreign Ministry in 2005. With Iran's FM declaring six months of war readiness and rejecting all negotiations, the Council was the only body with both the authority and the willingness to explore peace.

By late May 2026, a 60-day memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran was taking shape, brokered partly through the channels the Council had kept open during the conflict. The final MOU was approved on the Iranian side by Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf — the Council's earlier groundwork had preserved the diplomatic infrastructure that made a negotiated outcome possible when the moment arrived.

Common Questions

What is Iran's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations?

It is an advisory body that reports directly to Iran's Supreme Leader rather than to the president or cabinet. It provides Foreign Policy recommendations and maintains informal diplomatic contacts that the official Foreign Ministry cannot Conduct publicly.Source: entity background

Who chairs the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations?

Kamal Kharazi has chaired the Council since 2005, after serving as Iran's Foreign Minister from 1997 to 2005. He was critically wounded and his wife killed when he was struck at his Tehran home on 1 April 2026.Source: entity background

How is the Strategic Council different from Iran's Foreign Ministry?

The Foreign Ministry, led by Abbas Araghchi, handles formal state-to-state diplomacy. The Council reports directly to the Supreme Leader and can Conduct deniable back-channel contacts that the FM cannot. During the 2026 conflict, the FM rejected all talks while the Council ran the Pakistan-Vance channel.Source: entity background

Why was the Strategic Council running peace talks instead of Araghchi?

FM Araghchi declared six months of war readiness and publicly rejected all negotiations. The Council operated a parallel channel because the formal diplomatic apparatus had closed.Source: background

What role did the Strategic Council play in the 2026 Iran war?

The Council coordinated the only functioning diplomatic back-channel between Iran and the US, running through Pakistan. Its chairman Kharazi was targeted and critically wounded in a strike on 1 April 2026. The Council's groundwork preserved the diplomatic infrastructure that contributed to the May 2026 memorandum of understanding.Source: entity background

Why was the Strategic Council running peace talks instead of Iran's foreign minister?

Iran's Foreign Ministry publicly declared six months of war readiness and rejected all negotiations. The Council, answering to the Supreme Leader rather than the cabinet, could maintain deniable back-channel contacts through Pakistan without contradicting the FM's public stance.Source: entity background

How the World Sees Them

Iran

The Council provided the Supreme Leader a diplomatic instrument the FM could not: deniable contact with adversaries.

Pakistan

Islamabad's mediation depended on the Council's willingness to hold informal contact; formal channels had already been rejected.

United States

Washington engaged through the Council rather than Araghchi's ministry, recognising the FM lacked authority to negotiate.