Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif apologized, on Sunday, for his leaked audio recordings, which caused widespread controversy in the country, less than two months before the presidential elections.
In a post on his Instagram account, on Sunday, Zarif requested that the family of Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force in the Revolutionary Guards, forgive him, saying: “I hope the great people of Iran, and all the general (Soleimani) lovers, especially the great Soleimani family will forgive me.
He added, “The comments I made do not diminish the indispensable position and role of the martyr Soleimani,” continuing: “If I had known that a word from it would be published publicly, I certainly would not have said it,” according to the American Associated Press.
The recordings, which were leaked last week, include explicit comments by Zarif about Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike in 2020.
Zarif also criticized in the recordings Soleimani’s separate relations with Russia, and his refusal to stop using Iranian Airlines in the Syrian operations, despite Zarif’s objections.
In the recording, Zarif said, “The military in Iran is ruling.”
Zarif’s leaked comments sparked a great controversy in Iran, which made the Foreign Ministry consider them merely “personal positions.”
The statements also faced criticism from conservative politicians, especially as they affected Soleimani, who is considered one of the most prominent architects of Iranian regional policy and enjoys a great position, especially after his assassination by an American air strike last year.
