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On March 2, 2025, Mohammad-Javad Zarif announced his resignation from his position as Strategic Deputy to the President in Masoud Pezeshkian’s cabinet. In a post on X, Zarif revealed that he had met with Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, the regime’s Judiciary Chief, who had advised him to step down to prevent further pressure on the government. “I immediately accepted. I have always sought to be a supporter, not a burden,” Zarif stated. He added, “I still take pride in supporting Pezeshkian.” This statement, coupled with the circumstances surrounding his departure, indicates that his resignation was not voluntary but rather dictated from above.
State-run news agency IRNA promptly reported the event as a resignation, stating that Zarif had submitted his letter to Pezeshkian, who had yet to respond. Other regime-aligned outlets, such as the Fars News Agency and Kayhan Daily, framed the development as a necessary correction to an illegitimate appointment. Meanwhile, MP Hamid Rasaee rejected the notion of resignation altogether, stating: “Someone who was illegally appointed in the first place cannot resign. He must be removed after facing charges.” This view was echoed by Amir-Hossein Sabeti, another MP, who suggested that more officials should be removed for the same reason, calling on government members with dual-citizen children to either revoke their children’s foreign citizenship or step down.
The Resignation Card
This is not the first time Zarif has used the resignation card. In 2019, during the Rouhani administration, he resigned after being excluded from a high-level meeting between Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and the Iranian leadership. His resignation was rejected by the Supreme Leader’s office, exposing the limits of his authority. His August 2024 resignation attempt, citing pressure over his children’s dual citizenship, was another instance where his political survival depended on forces beyond his control.
Mohammad-Javad Zarif, former #Iranian regime FM and newly appointed strategic deputy of #MasoudPezeshkian resigned following the introduction of the new controversial cabinet. pic.twitter.com/H8b1xUwz1d
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 12, 2024
Pezeshkian has remained silent on whether he will accept Zarif’s resignation, exposing his political vulnerability. The president’s lack of response reflects his own limited power, as his administration is widely recognized as being handpicked by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. On August 21, 2024, during his parliamentary approval session, Pezeshkian explicitly instructed MPs to approve his cabinet choices because they had been personally selected by Khamenei. This open admission reaffirmed that his government was nothing more than an extension of the Supreme Leader’s rule, and now, as key figures are being removed, his powerlessness is further exposed.
The Impeachment of Hemmati and Its Connection to Zarif’s Exit
Zarif’s resignation came on the same day after the regime’s parliament voted to remove Abdolnaser Hemmati, Minister of Economy, from office. State media insisted that his dismissal was purely due to economic mismanagement, yet multiple reports indicate that his removal was orchestrated outside Parliament. The state-run Ham-Mihan newspaper declared: “The death knell of unity has been sounded.” Meanwhile, Etemad reported that the decision to remove Hemmati was not based on parliamentary deliberations but rather dictated by power centers beyond the legislature.
The removal of Zarif and Hemmati signals that internal cracks within the regime are widening. The state-run daily Kayhan celebrated Hemmati’s removal as a victory for economic recovery, claiming that Parliament had “done the government a favor,” further suggesting that the government needs more “shake up.”
Yet, pro-government media have admitted the severity of the crisis. IRNA conceded that Hemmati’s removal “revealed the burden of debt saddling the Fourteenth Government.” The same report acknowledged that economic conditions would not improve anytime soon, admitting that the government had merely sacrificed one official without addressing the underlying problems.
Pezeshkian’s Cabinet Is Testament to #Khamenei’s Unquestioned Authority Over #Iran’s Governancehttps://t.co/vyebHqPZc0
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 22, 2024
Zarif’s resignation must also be seen within the broader context of Iran’s foreign policy shifts. Throughout his tenure, Zarif worked tirelessly to whitewash Tehran’s crimes, acting as the regime’s chief propagandist rather than a diplomat. His statements attempting to downplay the regime’s repression—including his infamous claim in a recent CNN interview that “women in Iran can walk the streets without hijab, and the government does not force them”—were meant to mislead the international community while the regime violently enforced mandatory veiling.
His role extended beyond propaganda. Zarif defended and justified the IRGC’s downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 in 2020, initially echoing the regime’s denials before shifting to damage control once the truth became undeniable. He remained complicit in covering up the regime’s human rights violations, including the systematic suppression of protests, the execution of political dissidents, and the imprisonment of activists. The man once dubbed “the smiling face of the regime” was instrumental in buying time for Tehran’s nuclear program while simultaneously justifying its brutal domestic policies.
Factional Clashes over Zarif’s Appointment Expose Deep Divisions in #Iran’s Regimehttps://t.co/PX6DZXxD10
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) November 28, 2024
The Beginning of a Larger Purge
Despite attempts to frame these developments as normal political adjustments, the reality is far different. The clerical dictatorship, now more isolated than ever, is engaged in a desperate effort to consolidate internal power while preparing for a more aggressive posture internationally.
The removal of two of Pezeshkian’s most key allies in the government—one by the legislative and the other by the judicial branch—signals a major shift in Khamenei’s calculations. By handpicking some elements that were crucial in the 2015 nuclear deal, Khamenei initially sought to signal openness to the West, attempting to buy time and deceive the international community into easing sanctions. However, the regional and international developments of recent weeks have blown up Khamenei’s plans. Now, he is removing those figures that the most extremist factions of the regime have long had trouble with, signaling that the regime is gearing up for greater confrontation against Iranian society and the world.