ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Mohammed Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, announced his resignation via social media platform Instagram on Monday.
Zarif's post on Instagram published Monday evening. Photo: Instagram
"I deeply apologize for not being able to continue my service," Zarif said in a post on his official account.
Abas Mousavi, deputy speaker for the foreign ministry, confirmed Zarif’s resignation in a statement to state-run news agency IRNA.
President Hassan Rouhani's office is yet to comment on the resignation. It is not clear whether Rouhani, who is himself facing calls to resign, will accept it.
As a diplomat, Zarif had been widely seen as a voice of reason in the Iranian administration, at a time when Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) hardliners were taking a proactive role in outlining Iran’s positions on international relations – particularly regarding the US.
He played a key role in negotiating the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, pledging to halt its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Zarif came under attack among hardliners when the US withdrew from the nuclear deal in May 2018 and reimposed sanctions targeting Iran's oil and financial sectors.
As a result, Iran's economy has suffered and its currency plummeted.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on February 17, Zarif berated the Trump administration’s erratic foreign policy decisions and demanded European signatories of the nuclear deal do more to help Iran weather the storm.
Zarif made the announcement on the anniversary of the birth of Fatima - the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed.
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