Zarif in the post-sanctions era

A few weeks ago, the US government announced that it was pondering whether to place the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif on its list of sanctioned individuals, freezing his assets in the US.

On Wednesday, July 31, Washington followed through with its threat, a White House official announcing that Zarif had been placed on a sanctions list. The US Department of the Treasury’s Foreign Assets Control Office stated on its website that the sanctions included freezing of US assets owned by Zarif either in the country, or controlled by US entities.

The sanctions include efforts to curb Zarif’s overseas travel, while also imposing sanctions on Ali Khamenei. The US does not consider Zarif the primary point of communication in possible nuclear talks in the future, with Washington wishing to maintain connections with another, unidentified figure, who plays a larger role in decision-making.

Zarif’s swift response to the US decision is not very meaningful — he has obviously been affected by the political and diplomatic developments happening around him.

Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami

While Zarif and his accompanying delegation were recently given entry visas to the US to attend UN meetings, the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has now imposed restrictions on Zarif’s movements in New York, because US diplomats are unable to move freely in Tehran. Although a number of media outlets have reported meetings between Zarif and some US officials close to Trump, Iran has denied these reports.

Zarif’s swift response to the US decision is not very meaningful — he has obviously been affected by the political and diplomatic developments happening around him. We all watched while he posted his resignation on Instagram in protest at being ignored by the regime when it failed to inform him of the visit of Bashar Assad to Tehran, or to invite him to attend the official reception in his capacity as Iran’s foreign minister.

Also, Iran’s media has reported that Zarif had submitted a letter of complaint to Khamenei concerning a soap opera entitled “Gando,” aired on a state TV. The series accused Iranian government members of treason, espionage, and collaboration with Iran’s enemies, with several characters in the series alluding to Zarif and his deputy Abbas Araghchi.

Abbas Mousavi, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, acknowledged what had been reported in the Iranian media concerning Zarif’s letter to Khameini, confirming at a press conference that the letter had been written by Zarif himself. The TV station in question, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Channel is among the institutions overseen by the leadership, the spokesman said.

The series paints an unflattering picture of Zarif as a passive, powerless figure. Zarif has claimed that he has not seen the series since he never watches TV, but he reportedly said in his letter that if Iran, as a powerful state, decided to appoint such an ineffective foreign minister as the one featured in the series, he should not remain in place. From a legal standpoint, he said, the foreign minister should be a person who prioritizes dignity, usefulness, and wisdom as principles, and should be powerful enough to speak on behalf of the nation of Iran.

Iran’s reformist-oriented media outlets, meanwhile, have promoted the issue as if the letter was a religious fatwa, rather than a complaint about a soap opera. The newspaper Aftab Yazd, which is close to President Hassan Rouhani, published a lengthy report on the issue. It mentioned that Zarif is a pious figure and in his letter to Khameini, he had demanded that the supreme leader issue a fatwa on the legality of his position as Iran’s foreign minister since some now view him as a traitor and infiltrator who is submissive to the West.

Overall then, in light of the domestic and external pressures he currently faces, Zarif finds himself trapped in a position which does not suit him. He also realizes that pressures on him will increase even if he finds some sympathy from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps following the supreme leader’s disapproval of the series. Given these factors, one cannot rule out the possibility that he may submit his resignation to Rouhani, citing various potential reasons, including, maybe, an argument that because of the sanctions imposed on him Iran could be excluded from international forums at the UN, and that therefore, another figure should be selected, who is able to travel freely. If this happens, Zarif could face difficulties at home which might prompt him to leave the country. One question remains unanswered, however: who will act first: Zarif, or the conservatives who could ban him from traveling as they did with the former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami?