Elegant End

Graceful End

Zarif’s graceful end, which happened hours after the introduction of the proposed cabinet by the doctors, I had repeatedly said that the selection of government members is the president’s right, and the Supreme Council and committees are advisory bodies.

I am grateful to them for giving me the honor to participate in this new and courageous initiative.

I am not satisfied with the outcome of my work and I apologize for not being able to deliver on the promises I made regarding the expert opinions of the committees and the participation of young women and ethnicities as I had pledged.

Of course, there are still some vice-presidential positions remaining, and I hope this deficiency will be compensated.

Some have considered me impatient. I believe that in the past twelve years, I have shown more patience and resilience than many claimants against unprecedented attacks. However, I am very sensitive to the people’s attitudes and concerns.

Zarif’s statements about the presence of young women and ethnicities occurred while doctors had repeatedly emphasized supporting the rights of all groups, including women and young people, throughout his debates.

After the publication of Zarif’s statement, Azar Mansouri, the head of the Front of Reformists of Iran, tweeted expressing regret over your resignation. He acknowledged your significant efforts in the elections, your support for Dr. Rouhani, and your acceptance of the guidance council. He emphasized the many benefits of your presence, especially in pursuing the demands of the people, and urged you to stay and continue.

Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, the Minister of Communications of President Rouhani’s government and another supporter of Dr. Rouhani during his election activities, also reacted to Zarif’s resignation. He stated that Zarif’s resignation is a loss for Iran and his family, and that it is a thorn in the eyes of the Zionists and the US, who imposed sanctions on him to diminish his effectiveness for Iran. Why should Iran be deprived of his services through self-sanctioning?

However, Zarif yesterday, in less than 24 hours after the publication of his first letter regarding the leaked text, provided some explanations that seem to be a response to reactions. In his message last night, I did not express regret or disappointment in Dr. Peskov’s dear physicians, nor did I oppose realism. Instead, it was a sign of doubt in my effectiveness in the Deputy Strategic Planning Office. Some detractors, however, have interpreted my employment in sensitive positions under the approved law of 1401 as pretexts to pressure the fourteenth government.

To prevent any suspicions or excuses for sabotaging the government’s work, I had resigned last week through letters from the Deputy Strategic Planning Office to the President.

In his further explanations published on social media X, he wrote that despite the birth of my children about 40 years ago and during my studies and not having any mission in America, and due to the laws of the United States regarding citizenship, by the grace of God, my wife and children are residents of Iran, and we do not own or even rent a square meter of housing outside of Iran.

I am also under two US sanctions, one under the leadership sanction and one Canadian sanction, and my spouse and I do not even have the possibility of tourist travel to the United States, Canada, and some other countries.

No supervisory body has expressed opposition to my deputyship. Noble doctors have boldly and explicitly insisted on continuing my work.

This excuse is more applicable to others who have children with dual nationality, whether acquired or not, along with residency abroad, more than me.

What led to last night’s report was doubt about my usefulness in the strategic deputyship. It was not a political reason for returning to the university, and it was only an additional cause. I still believe in everything I said about them during the elections.

I will serve you and them with all my power from the university for Iran, and I request all patriotic and development-oriented Iranians to increase their support for them and not leave them and their government alone.

However, it seems that the president has not paid attention to this important issue, as in the first round of the presidential elections, only 39.96% of the people participated, and what led to an increase in voter turnout in the second round, pushing the participation rate above 40%, was the fear of Saeed Jalili coming to power, a person who described his government as the continuation of the path of the thirteenth government. Nevertheless, disregarding the demands and concerns of the people and their reasons for trusting his promises, some of his proposed ministers were selected from among the ministers of the thirteenth government, some of whom were identified as incompetent.

Also, among his proposed ministers, only one woman’s name is seen, and of course, there is no mention of names from ethnic and religious minorities in his proposed list. These are the points that Zarif delicately pointed out and considered the issue as embarrassing himself in front of the nation.