Iran's Pezeshkian offers public thanks to VP Zarif after resignation, signals future role still possible

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed his gratitude to Mohammad-Javad Zarif, the former vice-president for strategic affairs, following his resignation from the administration.

In a statement issued on April 16, President Pezeshkian acknowledged that "a set of constraints" had led to Zarif’s departure, but emphasized that he remained open to drawing on the former official’s "scientific merits and experience" in the future, Caliber.Az reports, citing Iranian media.

Zarif stepped down on March 3, revealing in a post on X that Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei had advised him to resign during a meeting, citing the prevailing circumstances in the country. Zarif said he hoped his resignation would remove any excuses used by those obstructing "the realization of the people’s will and the success of the administration."

Since his appointment, Zarif had faced growing pressure from some members of Parliament who claimed his assignment was illegal due to a provision in Iranian law prohibiting individuals with foreign citizenship—or immediate family members with such status—from holding sensitive government posts. The criticism stemmed from the fact that at least one of Zarif’s children holds U.S. citizenship, having acquired it at birth during Zarif’s time as a student in the United States.

By Khagan Isayev