Reactions on Twitter to Zarif's Resignation; 'An Incompetent Timing'

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, announced his resignation from the position of Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic in an Instagram post on Monday evening. This unexpected news, which exploded like a bomb and quickly spread across social media, was shortly thereafter published in Persian-language news outlets, thus gaining a degree of official recognition. The news of Zarif's resignation came shortly after the release of images of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader and President, fueling speculation about Zarif's ignorance of this meeting. Zarif himself stated to the website Entekhab that after the photos of Assad's meetings in Iran today, 'Javad Zarif no longer has credibility as Foreign Minister in the world.' He also thanked his colleagues at the Foreign Ministry, saying, 'It was an honor for me to serve alongside you, and I hope my resignation serves as a wake-up call for the Foreign Ministry to return to its legal status in foreign relations. Thank you all.' Meanwhile, the official news agency of the Islamic Republic reported Zarif's remarks and noted that his reaction was in response to 'the collective resignation of diplomats and managers of the Foreign Ministry if his resignation becomes definitive.' Zarif's hope for the 'return of the Foreign Ministry to its legal status' strengthened the speculation that the Foreign Minister and Iran's diplomatic apparatus are dissatisfied with the current situation and that behind-the-scenes negotiations have not yielded results. Previously, some analysts had written that the 'real' Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic is Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, and that the Islamic Republic's regional policies are pursued by him. Although there has been no official news regarding President Hassan Rouhani's reaction to Zarif's resignation, several members of parliament have written a letter to Rouhani asking him to oppose this resignation, and Mahmoud Vaezi, Rouhani's chief of staff, has strongly denied the President's approval of this resignation. Zarif's resignation has also sparked widespread reactions in the virtual space. Mike Pompeo, Zarif's American counterpart, reacted to the news by calling him and Hassan Rouhani 'the facade of a corrupt religious mafia' and tweeted that 'we know Khamenei makes all the final decisions.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also expressed happiness over this resignation, tweeting, 'Zarif is gone; we are rid of him!' Additionally, some users affiliated with Hezbollah on Twitter expressed joy over Zarif's resignation, while a large number of other users described the conditions following Zarif as 'terrifying.' Some have also referred to Zarif's resignation as 'ill-timed' in light of the renewed sanctions against Iran. A user named 'Setareh' used the hashtag #Zarif_Flight to write, 'Mr. Former Foreign Minister, I wish you had at least been timely after all that treachery.' 'A. Vahdatian' tweeted, 'Mohammad Javad, either stand like a man and be responsible and accountable, or if you leave, be a man and confess for history that closing your eyes to America brings nothing but harm and how you deceived the people over five years, how you wasted the nuclear and space industries for nothing.' Meanwhile, 'Javid of Tabriz' tweeted, 'If we lose Mohammad Javad Zarif in the field of diplomacy, it is like losing General Soleimani on the battlefield.' 'Matin Ramazankhah' tweeted that 'the sense of insecurity, indifference, declining institutional trust, reduced legitimacy of democratic processes, social violence, fear, and dozens of other phenomena are the consequences of the removal of effective, wise, competent, and courageous agents.' Javid Seyed Ranjbar wrote, 'The only issue that has made domestic and foreign traitors happy in the past half-century is this resignation of Mohammad Javad Zarif! A glimmer of hope has vanished.' Mahmoud Sadeghi, a member of parliament, also reacted to Zarif's resignation by tweeting, 'Resignation is not a suitable solution to confront problems and challenges; by avoiding overlapping duties, we should create the ground for synergy among the country's powers and strengthen executive managers.' According to Morteza Kazemian, a national-religious political activist, 'Zarif does not have a serious and defined social support base that would take to the streets demanding his return; nor does he, contrary to the propaganda of Mossadegh, have the capacity to do so; nor will Khamenei forgive his important resignation on the day of Bashar al-Assad's meaningful visit.' The resignation of Zarif can be seen as a revelation of a new Islamic Republic. Mehdi Khalaji tweeted that Zarif's resignation 'is a turning point in the militarization of the government, a transition from clerical dominance to military authority, and readiness for the post-Khamenei era.' Sara Masoumi, a journalist, also called the issue of the Foreign Ministry's knowledge of Zarif's trip from the beginning of February a 'targeted lie' and wrote, 'This news was strongly denied by a knowledgeable source in the Foreign Ministry. According to this source, such news is fundamentally false and fabricated.' Meanwhile, 'Young Officers of Soft War' tweeted, 'Let’s not attribute internal government quarrels to the resignation regarding the country's policies. Zarif's resignation is not, contrary to the claims of reformist media, a protest against the regime's policies, but rather due to the efforts of the team present in the presidential office to sideline him.' Ezzatollah Zarghami, the former head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, also tweeted, 'Zarif holds the record for praise and commendation from the Supreme Leader. A comprehensible misalignment should not have brought him to this point. Zarif should return and not let the sweetness of this historic meeting turn bitter. The polarization of resignation is contrary to national interests.' Besides him, who confirmed the issue of 'parallelism' in foreign policy and referred to it as 'a comprehensible misalignment,' Hessameddin Ashna, an advisor to Hassan Rouhani, also called for Zarif to continue his work. Ashna tweeted, 'Iran's dignity depends on honoring a powerful Foreign Minister. Wisdom dictates that national interests be prioritized. The interest lies not in resignation but in resilience and the revival of diplomacy.'