Advanced Search

The story appears on

Page A8

February 27, 2019

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home 禄 World

Iranian foreign minister Zarif in shock departure

Source: Agencies | 00:00 UTC+8 February 27, 2019 | Print Edition

Iran鈥檚 Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the urbane, US-educated architect of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, announced his resignation unexpectedly on Monday on Instagram.

鈥淢any thanks for the generosity of the dear and brave people of Iran and its authorities over the past 67 months. I sincerely apologize for the inability to continue serving and for all the shortcomings during my service. Be happy and worthy,鈥 he wrote on his Instagram page jzarif_ir.

He gave no specific reasons for his decision. Unconfirmed reports indicated he resigned over Syrian President Bashar al-Assad鈥檚 visit to Tehran on Monday. Noting that Zarif was not pictured in any of the coverage of the visit, one online website said 鈥渢he foreign minister was not informed.鈥

Zarif played the lead role in striking the deal under which Iran agreed to curbs on its nuclear program in return for the lifting of international financial sanctions.

He came under attack from anti-Western hardliners in Iran after the United States pulled out of the agreement last May and reimposed sanctions on Iran鈥檚 economy and its lifeblood oil industry that were lifted under the deal.

Assad made his first public visit to Iran since the start of Syria鈥檚 war in 2011 on Monday, meeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani.

A foreign ministry spokesman and spokesman for the Iranian mission to the United Nations, Alireza Miryousefi, confirmed the announcement of the resignation. There was no word, however, on whether Rouhani would accept it.

Several lawmakers and politicians took to social media calling on the pragmatist Rouhani to reject the resignation, saying it would not serve national interests and would empower hardliners in Iran鈥檚 clerical establishment.

Although Rouhani, as the president, is responsible for choosing ministers, Iran鈥檚 top authority Khamenei traditionally has the last say over appointment of key ministers, including the foreign minister.

Born in 1960, Zarif lived in the US 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 Iranian ambassador in 2002-07. He was appointed minister of foreign affairs in August 2013 after Rouhani won the presidency.

World
锘

 

Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

娌叕缃戝畨澶 31010602000204鍙

Email this to your friend


锘