Head of new Reformist group in Iran resigns from party
Sadegh Kharazi, who started the Reformist group Neda, resigned from the group.
Seyed Mohammad Sadegh Kharazi, the seasoned Iranian diplomat who started his own Reformist bloc ahead of the 2016 parliamentary elections, has suddenly and dramatically resigned from the party. The resignation comes shortly after Kharazi gave a controversial interview in which he threatened to name Reformist figures under the Mohammad Khatami administration who had a relationship with US officials in New York. That interview, while welcomed by hard-line media, caused an uproar among Reformist circles.
In his resignation letter, Kharazi addressed the members of the Neda Party, and said, “Unfortunately what has happened in the last days was cowardly attacks by friends and opponents who trampled ethics, which is one of the most important pacts of social life, and with accusations and defamation and lies, from clear statements, created [something] unknown.” He added, “All the pressure on Neda, from the first day until now, is a sign of the correct path you all have chosen.” Neda stands for the Persian acronym for Nasl-e Dovome Eslahat, the Second Generation of Reforms.
Kharazi wrote that he would “resign from the presidency of the central committee of Neda Party” and referred to himself as “a small member of a large family.”
He reiterated that his group was a Reformist group and that the other members, especially young people, would continue to carry out the work they had started.
