Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei has slammed Foreign Minister Javad Zarif over leaked audio in which the lead nuclear negotiator and career diplomat laid out internal power struggles within the regime and criticised a revered slain commander.
Although he refrained from directly naming Mr Zarif in his televised speech on Sunday night, Mr Khamenei described Mr Zarif's transgressions as “a big mistake that must not be made by an official”, and said the leaked comments “are a repetition of what Iran’s enemies say".
“Some remarks have been heard from officials that are regrettable and surprising,” Mr Khamenei said.
Mr Zarif offered him a direct and extensive apology on Sunday for the recorded comments leaked to the public.
Last week, audio surfaced of Mr Zarif in a seven-hour interview as part of a history project that included a blunt appraisal of the country’s internal power struggles and criticism of the powerful late Iranian commander Qassem Suleimani. The leak sent shockwaves through Iran just a month before the presidential elections.
“I am so sorry that part of my comments were stolen and published for misuse by enemies of the country and its people, and that it caused you, supreme leader, to feel regret,” Mr Zarif wrote in an Instagram post.
Mr Zarif’s Instagram apology followed an earlier one to the family of Suleimani, the commander of the IRGC's foreign operations Quds Force, who was killed by a US drone strike in Iraq last year.
He repeated that the leaked seven-hour conversation was never meant for release.
Mr Zarif expressed remorse for departing from Iran’s official line, acknowledging that “following the supreme leader’s suggestions and decisions is an undeniable necessity".
“Your comments are the final say on all matters for me and my colleagues," he said.
"As an expert in foreign relations, I always believe that it should be managed and guided by the superior.”
Mr Zarif’s criticism of the revered Suleimani, whose funeral processions in Iran drew millions of people to the streets, ignited instant controversy.
In the recordings, he took issue with Suleimani’s relations with Russia, which he accused of trying to sabotage Tehran’s 2015 landmark nuclear deal with world powers.
He also denounced Suleimani’s refusal to stop using the US-sanctioned national carrier, Iran Air, for operations in war-torn Syria despite Mr Zarif’s objections.
Speculation had mounted in recent weeks that Mr Zarif, the Iranian official most closely associated with the nuclear agreement, would challenge hard-liners in the coming vote.
But Mr Khamenei’s censure is likely to dismiss any such ambition, as the Guardian Council, a body of senior clerics and legal experts that serves under Mr Khamenei, vets candidates for office.
Mr Zarif has insisted that he does not want to run.
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20EduPloyment%3Cbr%3EDate%20started%3A%20March%202020%3Cbr%3ECo-Founders%3A%20Mazen%20Omair%20and%20Rana%20Batterjee%3Cbr%3EBase%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Recruitment%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2030%20employees%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20Pre-Seed%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Angel%20investors%20(investment%20amount%20undisclosed)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, Group B
Barcelona v Inter Milan
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic
John Zubrzycki, Hurst Publishers
RESULTS
Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)
Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)
Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)
Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)
Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Saturday's schedule at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 race, 12:30pm
Formula 1 final practice, 2pm
Formula 1 qualifying, 5pm
Formula 2 race, 6:40pm
Performance: Sam Smith
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
