Iranian Foreign Minister Announces His Resignation

Baku / 02.26.19 / Turan: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced his resignation on February 25. "I apologize that I can no longer perform my duties, as well as for all the shortcomings that I made while I was in office," Zarif wrote on his page on Instagram. He served as head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry since 2013 and was responsible for concluding a nuclear deal with Tehran.

The resignation of Zarif must be accepted by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Zarif headed the Foreign Ministry during Rouhani"s first presidential term and remained at his post after his re-election. Later in the day, the administration of the Iranian President confirmed the resignation of Zarif, but stressed that Rouhani would not accept it.

In mid-February, Zarif took part in the annual Munich Security Conference. The Iranian politician called on European countries to oppose the US in the dispute over the nuclear deal in a more united way. After Washington"s unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear agreement in May 2018, Zarif came under heavy criticism from the Iranian conservative forces. The nuclear deal was concluded by five countries with veto power in the UN Security Council, as well as Germany, in July 2015. In November 2018, the United States introduced a number of new sanctions against Iran. -02D-