Iran's vice president resigns 10 days after taking office

According to a report by TASS on August 11, Iranian Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif resigned just 10 days after taking office. He served as Iran's foreign minister from 2013 to 2021 and advocated for negotiations with the United States. Zarif wrote on social platform X that he was dissatisfied with the outcome of his work (as the chairperson of the advisory committee for the formation of the new cabinet), and other issues forced him to choose to continue his path at the university.

Zarif was referring to the advisory committee he led after Masoud Pezeshkian won the Iranian presidential election on July 5. Zarif was responsible for selecting nominees for the new cabinet, and the list was submitted to the Iranian parliament for approval on August 11. Zarif was considered a major supporter of dialogue with the United States and was criticized by Iranian conservatives for this. The diplomat actively participated in the drafting and signing of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and held talks with the US secretary of state and other US officials on multiple occasions. After Pezeshkian won the Iranian presidential election, Zarif issued a statement saying that the new president is willing to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the Iran nuclear deal).

Masoud Pezeshkian is an Iranian reformist politician and the 14th president of Iran. Pezeshkian was once a heart surgeon, served as the president of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, and also participated in the Iran-Iraq War as a military doctor. He joined the cabinet of then-President Khatami in 1997 and officially entered politics. From 2001 to 2005, Pezeshkian served as the minister of health in Khatami's cabinet. Since 2008, Pezeshkian has been elected as a member of the Iranian parliament several times. From 2016 to 2020, Pezeshkian served as the first vice-speaker of the Iranian parliament. On the afternoon of July 30, 2024, Pezeshkian officially swore in as the president of Iran at the Iranian parliament.