Iranian Parliament to Probe into Leaked Audio of Zarif’s Interview
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s lawmakers have made arrangements to launch an investigation into the leaked recording of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s March interview which has provoked controversy in recent days, an MP said.
Member of the Parliament’s presiding board, Ahmad Amirabadi, told Tasnim that the lawmakers discussed the recent controversies over the audio from Zarif’s interview at a session behind closed doors on Sunday.
“The leakage of the audio file has hurt the feelings of people and upset the nation,” the MP said, adding that the majority of lawmakers believe that bipolarity in the society would cause problems for people.
Three groups of MPs have made a request for an investigation into the case of the leaked file, Amirabadi added, saying the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission is going to handle the probe.
His comments came after a wave of controversies caused by a leaked audio of Foreign Minister Zarif, who has cited occasional differences between the diplomatic processes and actions in the field.
Speaking at a cabinet session last month, President Hassan Rouhani said the leaked audio recording of Zarif has been released by a dirty Saudi-sponsored channel with the purpose of upsetting Iran’s domestic unity at the height of success in the course of the JCPOA talks in Vienna.
Rouhani also lauded General Soleimani, saying he was “the best adviser” for the administration in the foreign policy in the region, and that the revered commander managed to foil the Zionist and American plots in the region.
The leaked interview, first published by Saudi-sponsored TV channel Iran International, includes more than three hours of audio from Zarif’s interview in March with Iranian journalist and economist Saeed Laylaz.
Iranian officials said the interview was part of an oral history project compiled by the Presidential Office’s Center for Strategic Studies.
