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.
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Sector: E-commerce
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
