Nuclear deal minister apologises, quits
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif resigned yesterday without warning, offering an ‘‘apology’’ to the nation as the nuclear deal he negotiated with world powers stands on the verge of collapse after the US withdrawal from the accord.
Zarif’s resignation, if accepted by Iran’s relatively moderate President Hassan Rouhani, would leave the cleric without one of his main allies in pushing the Islamic Republic toward more negotiations with the West.
However, it remains unclear why Zarif chose to leave his post now and what effect it will have on the atomic accord, the terms of which Iran still abides. He likely briefed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei before offering his resignation. Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, previously backed the envoy through the nuclear negotiations.
The veteran diplomat gave the first indication of his resignation with a vague Instagram post offering an ‘‘apology’’ for his ‘‘inability to continue to his service.’’ The post included a drawing honouring Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, as Irans commemorated her birth yesterday.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, confirmed to the state-run IRNA news agency minutes later that Zarif had resigned but gave no reason for his departure.
Earlier, Zarif met with members of the activist group Code Pink in Tehran, posing with a smile for a photograph with them. However, he was not seen in images later in the day showing Syrian President Bashar alAssad meeting with Khamenei and Rouhani. Iran has been a main supporter to Assad in the years-long war in his country.
On Sunday, Zarif criticised Iranian hard-liners in a speech in Tehran, saying: ‘‘We cannot hide behind imperialism’s plot and blame them for our own incapability.’’
‘‘Independence does not mean isolation from the world,’’ he said.
Analysts say Rouhani faces growing political pressure from hard-liners within the government as the nuclear deal unravels. Iranian presidents typically see their popularity erode during their second fouryear terms, but analysts say Rouhani is particularly vulnerable because of the economic crisis assailing the country’s rial currency, which has hurt ordinary Iranians and emboldened critics to openly call for his ouster.
Reaction was swift to Zarif’s resignation. A prominent reformist lawmaker, Mostafa Kavakebian, wrote on Twitter that Rouhani should reject Zarif’s resignation as his departure would only ‘‘make enemies of Iran’s dignity happy.’’
Hassan Mohammadi, a Tehran-based political analyst close to Rouhani, said he understood it was Zarif’s third time to submit his resignation in the last year.
‘‘It is part of plan for changing the track in foreign policy in Iran. A negotiation-seeking foreign minister is not a favoured person anymore,’’ Mohammadi told The Associated Press. ‘‘Iran needs a tough foreign minister from now on. Someone who does not offer smile towards the West.’’
The son of a wealthy family, Zarif overcame hardline objections and Western suspicions to strike the accord with world powers that saw Iran promise to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.
The deal, though, later faced a challenge from the administration of President Donald Trump, who pulled America out of the accord. –AP