Controversial speech in Iran: Zarif questioned the threat-oriented policy

Freenews.tr Special Report

Striking remarks from Zarif: "Complaining about the past is not enough, we must shift from a threat-oriented perspective to an opportunity-oriented one"

Freenews.tr – A video of a recent speech by Iran's former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sparked widespread repercussions on social media. In his speech, Zarif harshly criticized his country's foreign policy approach, arguing that the perspective focused on grievances and threats regarding the past must be abandoned.

Mentioning Qasem Soleimani and Hassan Nasrallah in his speech, Zarif asked, "Should I sit and complain about the past until morning? Will they come back to life if I complain? What will we gain?" Highlighting the example of China, the former minister stated that the basis of Mao Zedong ending China's century of humiliation was the belief that "I can negotiate with the world." Zarif said, "China progressed after finding this belief in itself in 1970-71, not after Mao's death," and reminded that today in China, Mao is remembered not for his responsibility in the Cultural Revolution, but as the leader who moved the country forward.

Zarif stated that seeing everything as a threat in Iran turns even social issues into military matters. Giving the issue of the headscarf (hijab) as an example, the former minister said, "We see the headscarf as a trench, a stronghold. How does a social issue turn into a military matter? Because we see everything as a threat."

Criticizing regional diplomacy as well, Zarif argued that a threat-oriented perspective leads ambassadors to position themselves like Quds Force representatives, whereas an opportunity-oriented perspective requires the profile of a diplomat and a merchant. He stated, "Why are our representatives in Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq Quds Force representatives? Because we see those places as threats. If we don't see them as threats, the ground is laid for opportunities."

Making striking remarks regarding relations with Saudi Arabia, Zarif said, "If we see Saudi Arabia as a threat, we become a threat to them as well. These perspectives feed each other." Stating that the language of past-based hostility is constantly reconstructed, Zarif criticized the poems recited against Saudi Arabia during Friday prayers and reminded that those who used the JCPOA "like toilet paper" might face the same text tomorrow. He expressed, "The person reciting those poems should have known that tomorrow the Supreme Leader might have to sit next to the Saudi Minister of Defense."

While Zarif's speech was evaluated as a call for a pragmatic foreign policy within Iran and the region, it drew both support and criticism on social media. In particular, the questioning of the threat-oriented security approach caused discussions on regional normalization to flare up again.