The Iranian foreign minister said the military had caused diplomatic damage

Iran’s diplomatic efforts are hampered by military interventions that killed the commander of the Revolutionary Guard, among others Qassem Soleimani, said Mohammad Javad Zarif in a recording leaked by the country’s foreign minister and nuclear negotiator.

“We paid a lot of diplomatic prices [military] the field was a priority, “Zarif said in a secret interview as part of a leaked” oral history “research scheme leaked on Sunday, February 24.” We paid [military] field but [military] the pitch didn’t pay us. “

He said Soleimani – who led Iran’s foreign military operations in the Middle East and was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq in January 2020 – was telling him what to do in negotiations with foreign dignitaries.

“Every time I went to talks, the martyr Soleimani would say,‘ I want to get that advantage, this point. ’He said,‘ When you go to talk. [Russian foreign minister] Lavrov, get 1, 2, 3, 4. ‘. . . If I had said not use, for example, Iran Air [civilian] planes on the Tehran-Syria route [for military purposes], he would not accept. ‘

Speaking against Iranian officials, the Revolutionary Guards, the main ideological arm of the Islamic Republic, or military operations in the region, which Iran’s top leaders see as essential to their survival, can have a cost.

We paid a lot of diplomatic prices [military] the field was a priority. We paid for it [military] field but [military] the field did not pay us

Comments Iranian diplomats have been negotiating in Vienna for months revive the nuclear deal Zarif hit the world powers in 2015.

Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal in 2018 and imposed harsh sanctions that weakened pro-reform forces like Zarif. New President Joe Biden has expressed his willingness to return to the agreement and is in indirect negotiations with Iran in the Austrian capital.

The possibility of reaching a new agreement with the US has further complicated Iran’s domestic policy, ahead of the June 18 presidential election, in two terms that will end Hassan Rouhani’s centrist government. Reformers believe Zarif is the best chance to win the election and regain the nuclear deal.

Analysts say that if Zarif accepted the call for reform from the reformists, it could be a game changer. If he is not presented, the hardliners – especially those based on the Revolutionary Guards, the judiciary and parliament – believe they can have an easy run in the polls.

Reformists say hard forces will discourage Zarif, or else they would try to disqualify the Council of Guards, a strict constitutional watchdog, in rigorous examination procedures on candidates.

A person in the regime about hardliners has said the leaked file will not now be used to remove Zarif from office. He did not comment further. A reformist politician said the document could be used to disqualify the foreign minister.

In the interview, Zarif said he was not ready to be president. “The world is moving forward. . . These months are essential. I want to focus on foreign relations, not domestic politics. ”

The dossier was first broadcast by the London-based Persian international channel Iran International, an international television channel that sees Iran as an enemy organization funded by the republic. Saudi Arabia. Other Iranian media also conducted a three-hour interview, which was also heard by the Financial Times.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the controversial parts were taken “out of context” and that the “concerned” authorities are part of a seven-hour dialogue that will be published if they accept it, without giving further details.

Although the Islamic Republic has Russia as an ally, Zarif denounced on the tapes that Moscow had tried to sabotage the nuclear deal. He also said that they had hidden the Revolutionary Guards He shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane in the first year. The tragedy killed 176 passengers and crew as Iran responded to Soleiman’s assassination and occurred within hours of firing missiles at a U.S. military base in Iraq. Zarif said he had no idea about the attack.

He said the Islamic Republic leaders’ worldview was “based on the polarized cold war” and that “minorities capable of creating giant waves” had an interest in highlighting their “security” so that their duties could be excellent. ”

“I said it from the beginning [Iranian diplomats that] we end up being sacrificed, not champions, ”Zarif said.