Iran’s Vice-President Zarif resigns under hardliner pressure

Mohammad Javad Zarif is stepping down from the VP post for the second time since his appointment

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Mohammad Javad Zarif has resigned as Iran’s vice-president. File photo: AP

Published: 4:14pm, 3 Mar 2025Updated: 5:15pm, 3 Mar 2025

A former Iranian foreign minister who was key to the country’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers reportedly tendered his resignation on Monday from the government of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, caving in to pressure from hardliners.

The resignation of Mohammad Javad Zarif signalled Tehran’s rapid retreat from its outreach to the West as US President Donald Trump intensifies sanctions on the country.

Zarif has served as vice-president to Pezeshkian and has long been a target of hardliners within the country’s theocracy. He had tried to resign once before and it remained unclear whether Pezeshkian accepted his attempt to leave the government this time.

The development comes after Iran’s parliament on Sunday impeached Economy and Finance Minister Abdolnasser Hemmati, who once ran for the presidency signalling he would be willing to talk to the US president directly.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in parliament on Sunday. Photo: EPA-EFE

While lawmakers focused on their criticism of Hemmati over Iran’s plummeting rial currency, his removal also underscored the danger faced by Pezeshkian, who won election last year promising to reach out to the West to get sanctions lifted.