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Mohammad-Javad Zarif discusses his ties to Qassem Soleimani in shaping the regime’s diplomacy in a state TV interview
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In an unprecedented televised interview aired by Iran’s state TV shortly before his forced resignation on March 2, 2025, former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif openly admitted to extensive coordination between the Iranian regime’s diplomatic apparatus and its terrorist operations, primarily orchestrated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force under the notorious Qassem Soleimani.
During the state TV segment, the host deliberately emphasized Zarif’s “regular meetings” and close relationship with Soleimani, the former commander of the IRGC Quds Force, which is internationally recognized as a terrorist organization. Zarif openly described Soleimani as his key advisor during sensitive diplomatic engagements with the United States concerning Iraq and Afghanistan. “Martyr Soleimani was my main source of information during all those rounds,” Zarif declared, highlighting Soleimani’s involvement in even the minutest diplomatic details. “Very few in Iran had his level of insight,” Zarif emphasized, referencing Soleimani’s “exceptional” grasp of regional developments.
Further revealing the intertwined nature of diplomacy and terrorism under the clerical regime, Zarif recounted detailed instances of Soleimani personally briefing him ahead of international negotiations: “Martyr Soleimani used to write notes…seven or eight pages of notes and send them to me.” Zarif also admitted that Soleimani was the sole individual allowed to review his diplomatic negotiation reports before submission to Supreme Leader Khamenei. Zarif explicitly said, “Haj Qasem read the actual negotiation reports before anyone else, even before I sent them to the Leader.”
Zarif’s statements explicitly confirm how the regime utilized its terrorist activities in Afghanistan and Iraq, including orchestrating attacks against U.S. and allied forces, as leverage in negotiations with Western delegations. Zarif’s admission that Soleimani provided detailed briefings before diplomatic engagements clearly illustrates the calculated intertwining of Iran’s regional terror operations and diplomatic strategy to extract concessions from Western governments.
As various regime factions desperately try to deceive people into participating in the upcoming sham #elections, remember this: On Aug 21, 2019, months before the 2019 uprising, then-FM Javad Zarif claimed the majority support the clerical dictatorship, citing over 70% turnout. pic.twitter.com/RuA0vIKfpd
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) June 20, 2024
On March 2, Zarif was ousted following a meeting with Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei, reflecting Khamenei’s strategy of sacrificing high-ranking figures to retain regime cohesion amidst escalating crises.
Zarif’s so-called resignation, despite his significant role in attempting to legitimize the regime internationally, points to Tehran’s deepening internal instability. The airing of this explicit acknowledgment of collaboration between diplomatic efforts and terrorist activities sheds light on the inseparable ties between Iran’s official diplomatic channels and its terrorist arm—the IRGC Quds Force.
This candid acknowledgment by Zarif, driven by state TV’s deliberate questioning and highlighting of his relationship with Soleimani, further diminishes the regime’s attempts to present itself as a credible diplomatic partner. Instead, it underscores Tehran’s systematic deception and confirms that the regime’s global diplomatic engagement has consistently served to mask and advance its terrorist operations abroad.