TEHRAN: Iran’s former foreign minister Javad Zarif, who negotiated a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with major world powers, on Monday announced he had resigned from his new post as vice president.

“To avoid any suspicions or excuses for disrupting the work of the government… I resigned from the position of vice president for strategic affairs last week,” Zarif said on social media platform X, less than two weeks after newly-elected reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian chose him as his deputy.

Zarif cited several reasons for his resignation, most notably his disappointment with the line-up in the newly-proposed 19-member cabinet. “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,” he said.

Pezeshkian on Sunday presented his cabinet, which included one woman, to parliament 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.

Zarif pointed out that he also faced pressure after his appointment as vice president because his children hold US citizenship. An Iranian law enacted in October 2022 prohibits the appointment of those “who themselves, their children or their spouse have dual citizenship” to sensitive jobs and positions.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2024