Khamenei Supporters Attack Zarif for His Criticism of 'Wishful Thinking' in Foreign Policy

Mohammad Javad Zarif, the former foreign minister of the Islamic Republic, faced significant backlash from supporters of the Supreme Leader and media outlets aligned with the conservative faction of the regime following his critical remarks on his Instagram page. On Saturday, he wrote: "Throughout history, we have set our goals based on our wishes and have not paid attention to our capabilities." The former foreign minister also stated: "In our 75 years of development planning, national resources have been destroyed and development has not occurred, as most plans have been more about the aspirations of the country's leaders rather than outlining a path to compensate for backwardness in accordance with available resources and opportunities." Zarif added: "Consciously or unconsciously, we have chosen to praise those who have pursued our wishes, even if they have caused significant damage to ourselves and the country, while labeling those who have strived to mitigate the damages caused by wishful actions as compromisers or even traitors." In another part of his text, referring to the treaties of Turkmenchay and Golestan during the Qajar dynasty, he wrote: "To prevent future Turkmenchays, we must choose to pursue our wishes within the framework of our capabilities. Yet, even in our language, we consider attention to capabilities as inappropriate." Zarif questioned why 'compromiser' is viewed negatively while 'unyielding' is seen positively, adding: "Isn't compromise merely about reaching a common ground and balance to move towards ideals? Can we reach ideals through any other means?" During his tenure as foreign minister, Zarif faced severe criticism on several occasions for his remarks, including after a leaked audio file regarding the downing of the Ukrainian plane by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Zarif had said: "[To military officials] I said the world says the plane was hit by a missile. If it really was hit by a missile, tell us how we can remedy it." In response to that file, Hamed Esmaeilioun, the spokesperson for the victims' families of the Ukrainian flight, called him a "two-faced liar" and stated: "He is exploiting the blood of the passengers to portray himself as a victim." Following Zarif's critical remarks on Saturday, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the deputy coordinator of the IRGC, indirectly referenced him without naming him, saying: "Some individuals who slept on a bed of roses in America while this nation suffered during the imposed war are now making comments." This military official of the Islamic Republic stated that such individuals do not recognize the 'greatness of the nation' and added: "Our capabilities are much greater than this, and if it weren't for the misunderstandings of people like you, everyone would see more capabilities and achievements from this revolution." ISNA news agency wrote: "It is not funny, but sad to realize today that those who deceived us for years with a pose of dignity have a core and words that encourage people to accept humiliation." The state news agency added: "If leaders had decided based on existing capabilities, both Saddam would have reached Tehran shortly after attacking Iran and Bush would have targeted Iran after Iraq." Tasnim news agency, close to the IRGC, also reported: "Such a person has held the diplomacy of the country for eight years under the most difficult and delicate conditions! A personality that implicitly confirms the words of the most radical critics against him." Tasnim further wrote: "Zarif bears a remarkable similarity to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, our former president, where both believed that supporting Bashar al-Assad and resisting Takfiri forces was an aspiration disproportionate to Iran's capabilities." Until now, such a statement regarding the views of these two former officials of the Islamic Republic about Syria had not been published. Although Mohammad Javad Zarif has repeatedly faced severe attacks from supporters of the Supreme Leader. Tasnim continued its criticism by stating: "Mohammad Javad Zarif, who sees his personal wishes—such as America's unwavering commitment to JCPOA obligations—as destroyed, has tried to attribute this major failure to the wishful thinking of the internal structure without mentioning the brilliant achievements of the 'realism' of the country's strategies and the Supreme Leader himself." Ali Khamenei emphasized the necessity of using 'three keywords: dignity, wisdom, and expediency' in foreign policy during a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ambassadors of the Islamic Republic on May 19. He stated: "Dignity negates begging diplomacy, both in words and in content, and avoids looking to the words and decisions of other countries' officials." He also pointed out that "impulsive and uncalculated decisions and actions have harmed the country at times." The Supreme Leader emphasized the need for 'not having misplaced trust in the opposing parties' without directly referencing the timing of these decisions and actions. He had previously criticized the foreign policy of Hassan Rouhani's government.