Rouhani Rejects Zarif’s Resignation: Ministry

Spoiling Celebration With Resignation

Date: 26 February 2019 - 21:33

News ID: ۶۳۶۲۸

TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday President Hassan Rouhani has not accepted the resignation of Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif, a day after he said he was quitting, rejecting reports in media.
"All interpretations and analysis around the reasons behind the resignation of Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif, beyond what he posted on his Instagram account, are not accurate and, as the chief of staff of the president of Iran said today, the resignation has not been accepted," spokesman Bahram Qasemi was quoted as saying by Fars News Agency.
Earlier on Tuesday, Rouhani who must accept any resignation by his ministers for them to become official, appeared to stand by Zarif, with his chief of staff posting a photo on Instagram of the two men together.
"In the view of Dr Rouhani, the Islamic Republic of Iran has only one foreign policy and one foreign minister," Mahmoud Vaezi, the chief of staff, wrote.
"The words of the president today in praising his foreign minister are a clear sign of the satisfaction of the representative of the people of Iran about the wise and effective positions and work of Dr Zarif and a tough response to some biased and incorrect analyses."
Earlier on Tuesday, Rouhani had thanked Zarif, along with Iran's oil minister and central bank governor, for being at the frontline of the battle against America.
The remarks, cited by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), made no reference to Zarif quitting.
On Monday, Zarif had written on his own Instagram page that he was resigning, stating: "Many thanks for the generosity of the dear and brave people of Iran and its authorities over the past 67 months."
He gave no specific reasons for his decision, but cited an "inability to continue serving".
Zarif played an important role in striking a 2015 landmark nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers.
But he came under attack by many Iranians after the United States pulled out of the agreement last May and reimposed economic sanctions on some of the country's key industries.
A majority of Iran's parliamentarians signed a letter to Rouhani on Tuesday, asking for Zarif to continue in his job, Ali Najafi Khoshroodi, the spokesman for the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy commission, told IRNA.
Zarif’s resignation coincided with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's visit to Tehran on Monday, raising questions as to why the top diplomat had chosen such a time when Tehran and Damascus were celebrating their victory over their sworn enemies.
The resignation overshadowed – at least to some degree – the first visit by the Syrian leader to Iran in seven years since the Arab country was drawn into a foreign-backed war.
Rouhani said on Tuesday that Assad had thanked Iran's foreign ministry during his visit to Tehran, according to IRNA.
Born in 1960, Zarif lived in the U.S. from the age of 17 as a student in San Francisco and Denver, and subsequently as a diplomat to the UN in New York, where he served as Iran's ambassador from 2002 to 2007.
He was appointed minister of foreign affairs in August 2013 after Rouhani won the presidency in a landslide, on a promise to open up Iran to the outside world.
Since taking charge of Iran's nuclear talks with major powers in late 2013, Zarif has been summoned to parliament several times by lawmakers to explain the negotiations.