Zarif used to be the toast of the town in Western capitals. In the days before and after the Iran deal, he frequently held court, in meetings in the West and via his social media activity. He rarely had to answer tough questions. It turns out now that it was in Iran where he faced his greatest challenges. While he was adored among many officials in the West, he was not so much liked at home.
The former foreign minister remains one of the key charlatans behind the Iran regime’s diplomacy. To the West he showed one face, the smiling diplomat pretending to be a moderate, while at home he had to pretend to be a partner of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – it was never entirely clear what he believed.
The new report from Fars News should be seen in the context of the IRGC’s views that Zarif was not trustworthy. This is because the Guard Corps and many allies of the current president of Iran appear suspicious of Zarif because of his frequent trips to the West.
The comments by Zarif are interesting. First of all, he appears to believe that European countries would stand by the Iran deal. He trusted in the UK, Russia, Germany and France. The article notes that “critics of the JCPOA had repeatedly pointed to the complicity of Europe with the US and the role of the Europeans in the JCPOA.” READ MORE
