ranian hardliners on Friday branded former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif a “traitor” and accused him of espionage over his call to end the war, with a lawmaker urging the judiciary to arrest him along with former president Hassan Rouhani.
Hardline lawmaker Hamid Rasaei urged the judiciary to issue what he described as a “judicial shot” to detain the two, following comments in which Rouhani called for preparations to end the war “honorably” and Zarif outlined a framework for de-escalation.
In an article published in Foreign Affairs, Zarif said Tehran should “use its upper hand not to keep fighting but to declare victory and make a deal,” warning that continued conflict would lead to “further destruction of civilian lives and infrastructure.”
He proposed that Iran could “offer to place limits on its nuclear program and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for an end to all sanctions,” and called for “a comprehensive peace deal” rather than a ceasefire.