Iran’s Zarif says he won’t run for president
Iran’s foreign minister ruled out any possibility about his nomination in the country’s next presidential election, a race that hard-liners are already attempting to make entirely one-sided.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif gave an absolute “no” to questions about whether he will run in the country’s next presidential election, slated to be held next June.
In a Persian-language interview with Afghanistan’s Tolo News TV, Zarif appeared confident in his answer, noting that such a decision does not indicate that he has been fatigued by politics. “But I don’t see my capabilities fitting such a position [presidency].”
Zarif has previously expressed willingness to continue his career in the capacity of Iran’s top diplomat in any upcoming administration. Yet despite all the clarity, Zarif’s stances have failed to end calls for him to run for president. Debates have been heating up in the past months that the foreign minister, a popular figure in the Moderate-Reformist camp, stands a high chance if he seeks nomination to run for president.
Iran’s Reformists suffered a severe blow in the parliamentary elections back in February, allowing a parliament that had been in their full control to be dominated by hard-liners. The defeat has been largely blamed on a pre-election purge by the ultraconservative Guardian Council, which is in charge of vetting candidates in all Iranian elections. Against such a backdrop as well as the fact the incumbent moderate President Hassan Rouhani will be constitutionally barred from running for a third term, the Reformist camp seems to have every reason to worry about the next presidency.
