Iranian Foreign Minister s Leaked Comments Spark Political Frenzy
April 28, 2021 16:20 GMT
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Leaked audio of dour foreign policy assessments from Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has raised a political storm amid questions about who was behind its release at a crucial juncture for Iran and the region.
In it, Zarif complains of interference by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in Iran s foreign policy and says assassinated Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani colluded with Russia to undermine nuclear diplomacy.
The IRGC s role in Iranian foreign policy, mainly in the region, and its opposition to improved ties with the West are no secret. Neither is it a surprise that Iran s postrevolutionary system heaps power in the hands of an unelected supreme leader and other hard-line institutions.
28 Apr 2021
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif enthusiastically praised “Martyr Soleimani,” the dead former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leader, on Wednesday after an hours-long interview leaked in which Zarif repeatedly insulted him.
Major Gen. Qasem Soleimani was the head of the IRGC Quds Force, tasked with executing Iran’s international terrorism policies. A U.S. drone strike eliminated Soleimani and the head of the Hezbollah Brigades, an Iraqi terrorist militia, in Baghdad on January 2020.
Three hours of an extensive conversation between Zarif and pro-regime journalist Saeed Laylaz, reportedly recorded in March 2021, leaked to the London-based outlet Iran International on Sunday. Most of Zarif’s remarks focused on Soleimani. Zarif repeatedly protested Soleimani usurped Zarif’s power and set Iran’s diplomacy while Zarif had “nil” influence on the country’s foreign policy. He specifically complained that Soleimani held meetings with Russ