Iran has imposed travel bans on 15 people for alleged involvement in a leaked audio recording in which the foreign minister complains about the influence of the Revolutionary Guards on Iranian diplomacy.
In the leaked interview, aired by the London-based Iran International Persian-language satellite news channel late on Sunday, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he had “zero” influence over Iran’s foreign policy.
The recording, granting a glimpse into ties between the government and the elite Guards, has angered hardliners in Iran, who called the leak “an espionage act”.
President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday has gone ahead to replace the head of the state-run think-tank that was in charge of conducting the interview while some lawmakers have called for Zarif’s resignation.
Ordering an inquiry into the recording’s release, Rouhani said on Wednesday the leak was intended to disrupt talks between Tehran and six powers in Vienna aimed at reviving a 2015 nuclear deal that Washington abandoned three years ago.
Authorities have said the recording was part of a wider project with government officials and was produced for state records rather than for publication.
While on a regional tour however, Zarif said in an Instagram post that he regretted the leak and his remarks were misinterpreted.
Discover more from LN247
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
