DUBAI: Iran’s former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has been reprimanded for his essay published in US journal Foreign Affairs, suggesting Tehran should now “use its upper hand” to make a ceasefire deal.
Zarif was issued a reprimand following the publication of an article “that has been determined to be contrary to national security,” Fars News Agency reported.
Iran warned that “during this imposed war, figures and those with a platform must not express opinions or publish material contrary to national interests, national integrity, and social cohesion, nor outside the bounds of their authority,” Fars reported, with the prosecutor’s office specifically addressing political figures and people with a public platform.
Analysts believe that the recent statements made against national interests were intended to polarize public sentiment and prepare the ground for elements and supporters of enemies, it added.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, criticized Zarif’s article, saying it overlooked Tehran’s continued aggression against its regional neighbors.
