Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has expressed deep regret over the potential fallout from a recently leaked audio of him expounding on the decision-making process in the Islamic republic.
In a post on his verified Instagram account, Zarif made the first official reference to published extracts of his conversation with Iranian economist Saeed Laylaz, where he alleged that the military wielded too strong a role over diplomacy efforts in the Islamic Republic.
“I was very sorry that a secret theoretical talk regarding the need for synergy between diplomacy and the (military) field … turns into domestic infighting and the honest and passionate pathology of some processes is framed as personal criticism,” he wrote on Wednesday.
According to the top Iranian diplomat, the “main point” of his remarks in the audiotapes is emphasizing “the need for a smart adjustment of the relationship between these two wings” of Iran’s power.
Iran’s Foreign Minister underscored the importance of “setting priorities through legal structures and under the great purview of the supreme leader”.
The publication of transcripts of Mohammad Javad Zarif’s interview, reportedly first obtained by London-based news outlet Iran International, was slammed by President Hasan Rouhani as an attempt to sow discord during ongoing Iran nuclear talks in Vienna.
As the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned publication of parts of the interview in the media, it lambasted the outlet for “cherry-picking” many things out of context.
“It was part of a routine and confidential dialogue that takes place within the administration […] The Foreign Ministry had no role in selecting the interviewing team and operators and in keeping the files. We do not know who did this and why,” Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on the interview.
Source: Agencies
