Zarif had handed in resignation ‘many times’: senior MP

TEHRAN, Feb. 26 (MNA) – Foreign Minister Zarif had submitted his resignation many times in the past, said Chairman of National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Iranian Parliament. “Zarif had tendered his resignation many times in the past. The public disclosure of his resignation this time shows that he wants the president to accept it,” Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh told ISNA on Tuesday. Saying that Zarif is the best choice for managing Iran’s foreign policy, Falahatpisheh hoped that he would remain in office. He also told Mehr News correspondent on Tuesday that the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament will hold an extraordinary meeting today to address foreign minister’s resignation. Zarif announced his resignation in an Instagram post on Monday. “I am grateful for the magnanimity of the dear and courageous people of Iran and the respectable authorities’ over the past 67 months,” he wrote, adding, “I sincerely apologize for the inability to continue [my] service and all the shortcomings and flaws during [my] tenure.” Meanwhile, Mahmoud Vaezi, Chief of Staff of the Iranian president, ‘vehemently’ denied reports that Rouhani has accepted the resignation. MNA