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Iran's Zarif denies bid for presidency

In a meeting with a powerful parliamentary commission on the recently leaked audiotape of himself, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he would not run for president. 
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart in Iraq's capital Baghdad on April 26, 2021.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke at parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee meeting regarding the leaked audio that has made headlines in the country for weeks.

Abolfazl Amouei, spokesman for the commission, told Iranian media that 12 individuals participated in the meeting from the National Security and Foreign Policy commission as well as other parliamentary bodies. He said the focus of the meeting was Zarif’s audio, which he said had “created a divide in public opinion,” separating the battlefield and diplomacy.

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