Iranian Vice President Zarif resigns for 2nd time since appointment

TEHRAN - Iranian Vice President Mohammad Javad Zarif resigned Sunday night for the second time since his appointment in August last year.

In a post on social media X on Monday, Zarif said he met with Iran's judiciary chief on Sunday and had accepted his recommendation to return to university.

He hoped that by stepping aside from his post, "the excuses for throwing a wrench" in the path of the administration's success would be removed.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian received Zarif's resignation letter on Sunday night but has not responded to it yet, the official news agency IRNA reported Monday.

The semi-official Fars news agency reported that by Iran's law on sensitive occupations, appointing Zarif as vice president was considered a clear violation of the law because two of his children have US citizenship.

A number of Iranian lawmakers had been following up on his "illegal" appointment to the post since the beginning of the administration's term, said the report.

In August last year, Pezeshkian appointed Zarif, a former foreign minister, as vice president for strategic affairs and head of the Center for Strategic Studies.

Zarif resigned 10 days after his appointment because he was "not satisfied with the result of his work" as head of the steering council that selected the new Iranian administration's cabinet members.

He later withdrew his resignation after Pezeshkian's "prudent" follow-ups and consultations.

Also on Sunday, Iranian lawmakers impeached Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Abdolnaser Hemmati and voted in favor of his removal due to the country's economic problems, such as high inflation and the depreciation of the national currency.