Zarif's Positive Response to Rouhani's Invitation to Continue as Minister

Hours after his resignation was rejected by the President on Wednesday, March 8, Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister, wrote a short note stating that he would remain in this position as the "responsible for advancing foreign policy." In an unreadable note published on his Instagram page, Zarif emphasized that he has "no concern other than the elevation of foreign policy." The full text of this message was published by the official news agency IRNA. In response to this news, two sources from Radio Farda in the European Union welcomed it. One source from Federica Mogherini's office, the EU's foreign policy chief, who wished to remain anonymous, called Mohammad Javad Zarif a "valuable interlocutor" and described cooperation with him as "very good." Earlier, Euronews reported that a senior EU foreign policy official was following news of Zarif's resignation with "concern" and hoped that his resignation would ultimately not take place. On Wednesday, the Islamic Republic's Foreign Minister thanked everyone for their "affection," especially in the "last 3 hours" in his Instagram message. However, what was reflected in the news during these final hours was that the President officially rejected Zarif's resignation in a letter; and of course, the President's letter was published after the commander of the Quds Force emphasized the trust of the system's leaders in Mohammad Javad Zarif. On Wednesday, Sepah News, the official news agency of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, quoted Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the IRGC's Quds Force, as saying that "there was no intention for Mr. Dr. Zarif's absence from this meeting." The commander’s statement and his involvement in this issue indicate that Zarif's absence or unawareness of Bashar al-Assad's meetings in Tehran was at least one of the reasons for his unexpected resignation. This point was previously mentioned by Gholamali Jafarzadeh, the Deputy Speaker of the Independent Fraction in Parliament, in an interview with the Etemad Online website: "Perhaps ignorance of Bashar al-Assad's trip to Tehran influenced Mr. Zarif's resignation, but [this] is not the only reason." In the meeting between the Syrian President and the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic in Tehran, which took place last Monday, Hassan Rouhani, the President, was not present. After hours of direct and indirect statements, Hassan Rouhani officially rejected Mohammad Javad Zarif's resignation in a letter on Wednesday. Earlier, the President's office and the Foreign Ministry spokesperson had announced that Zarif's resignation had not been accepted. On Wednesday morning, IRNA reported on the President's official response to the Foreign Minister and the rejection of his resignation. IRNA quoted the President's letter as saying, "I consider accepting your resignation contrary to the interests of the country and do not agree to it." According to Hassan Rouhani, Mohammad Javad Zarif remains "trusted by me and the Islamic Republic system, especially by the Supreme Leader." In response to this official letter, the Foreign Minister expressed hope that "the Foreign Ministry, with the cooperation and solidarity of all and the wisdom and oversight of the Supreme Leader and the President, can carry out all its responsibilities within the framework of the Constitution, the laws of the country, and the general policies of the system with authority and strength." In his first comment after the sudden resignation, Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed hope on Tuesday morning, March 7, that his action would be a "wake-up call" and restore the Foreign Ministry to its "legal position."