TEHRAN -- While the West
impatiently awaits the resumption of nuclear talks with Iran, new President Ebrahim Raisi has instead turned his sights inward, campaigning to build support in the provinces.
Elected in a vote June, the former judiciary chief has taken a step back from the Western-dominated stage in a bid to address the problems of his people.
Since taken office in August, he has made seven domestic trips in an outreach campaign to the common people.
On a visit to the southern province of Bushehr last week, Raisi declared he had come to “get to know the problems of the local people”.
“In the provinces, we want to find solutions for creating jobs, restarting production and resolving problems, particularly those of the most deprived,” he said.
Appearing unfazed by growing compulsion of the Western countries for the resumption of nuclear talks in Vienna, he has delegated this issue to his foreign minister.
The European Union’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Monday he hoped EU and Iranian diplomats would meet soon but declined to confirm reports of a meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
“No confirmation yet, but things are getting better and I am hopeful we will have preparatory meetings in Brussels in the days to come,” Borrell said in Luxembourg as he arrived for an EU foreign ministers meeting. “You never know, I am more optimistic today than yesterday”.
EU spokeswoman Nabila Massrali told AFP on Monday: “There will not be a meeting Thursday.”
“At this stage we cannot confirm if or when a meeting will take place,” Massrali said.
The announcement came after Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said the country’s lead nuclear negotiator, Ali Baqeri, would go to Brussels for discussions Thursday.
In the interim, Raisi has cultivated his image as a president on the ground, close to the people -- in contrast with his predecessor Hassan Rouhani, who was favored by the West but sometimes viewed as detached from the populace.
Raisi’s tour has taken him from the western province of Khuzestan,

where tensions have run high due to water shortages, to Sistan-Baluchistan province in the east, which has long suffered from poor infrastructure.
His domestic endeavors are backed by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who upon Raisi’s inauguration in August charged him with restoring the people’s “damaged” trust in the government.
Ayatollah Khamenei praised Raisi for visiting Khuzestan in September, a sentiment echoed by many of the country’s media outlets.
Official news agency IRNA carried a poll on its website, showing the “positive impact” of Raisi’s tours.
The daily Kayhan also celebrated Raisi’s common touch.
“We see today a president who doesn’t need an armored vehicle to understand the situation in the country,” it said. “He goes from province to province to familiarize himself with the realities and problems of the people.”