Iran: Vice President Zarif quits after 11 days in office

Iran’s vice president, Mohammad Javad Zarif, is resigning, leaving President Masoud Pezeshkian’s Cabinet just 11 days after his appointment.

“I am not satisfied with my work and regret that I have not been able to fulfil expectations,” the moderate politician said on the social media platform X.

Zarif, Iran’s former foreign minister, hinted that the selection of ministers for Pezeshkian’s new Cabinet had been the reason for his decision. At least seven of the 19 ministers nominated were not his first choice, according to Zarif.

Candidates did not match promised reforms

President Pezeshkian, who took office at the end of July, presented his Cabinet, which included one woman, to parliament on Sunday for approval. The proposed list drew criticism from some among Iran’s reformist camp, including over the inclusion of conservatives from the government of late President Ebrahim Raisi.

“I am ashamed that I could not implement, in a decent way, the expert opinion of the committees (responsible for selecting candidates) and achieve the inclusion of women, youth and ethnic groups, as I had promised,” Zarif said.

Zarif pointed out that he also faced pressure after his appointment as vice president because his children hold US citizenship.

“My message … is not a sign of regret or disappointment with dear Dr. Pezeshkian or opposition to realism; rather it means doubting my usefulness as a vice president for strategic affairs,” he said, noting he would return to academia and focus less on Iran’s domestic politics.

His resignation is the second crisis Pezeshkian has faced since taking office, following the killing of the Palestinian militant Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Zarif as key figure in the president’s politics

During Pezeshkian’s presidential election campaign, Zarif was his right-hand man and, due to his popularity, also played a key role in Pezeshkian’s victory.

Zarif was also one of the key figures for Pezeshkian in the implementation of his new foreign policy line. Zarif was the country’s chief diplomat between 2013 and 2021 and was able to conclude the landmark international nuclear agreement with the six world powers in 2015 as head of the Iranian negotiating team.

With Zarif and a new team of diplomats, Pezeshkian had hoped to resume the nuclear negotiations so that the sanctions that are paralyzing the Iranian economy could be lifted.