Zarif remarks on Quds Force envoys spark hardline backlash

Zarif, Iran’s former foreign minister, faces fierce hardline criticism after a video showed him questioning Tehran’s reliance on military threats.

The footage appeared online on Saturday. In it, Mohammad Javad Zarif argued that diplomacy and economic opportunity should come before confrontation with Iran’s neighbours.

He gave the speech in May 2025, not long before Iran fought a 12-day war with Israel. Yet the clip surfaced at a tense moment, with a US blockade squeezing the economy and fears of renewed conflict growing.

Zarif questions Iran’s security approach

In the video, Zarif drew a direct contrast between seeing nearby states as threats and seeing them as partners. If Iran viewed the region as a threat, he said, its envoys “must be representatives of the Quds Force.”

On the other hand, he added, viewing the region as an opportunity would mean sending business people and diplomats. The Quds Force is the overseas operations arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Zarif also said nuclear weapons do not create deterrence, noting that they had not protected Israel or the Soviet Union. At that time, he said, Iran lacked enough uranium to build a nuclear weapon.

He argued that putting security first had warped Tehran’s approach to both its nuclear programme and its neighbours. As a result, he argued, Tehran had missed chances to pursue its economic and diplomatic interests.

He also criticised the habit of treating social issues as security matters. “We even see hijab as a trench line,” Zarif said, urging a move away from a threat-based approach.

Hardliners hit back

The comments drew a swift response from Iran’s hardline camp. A hardline daily, whose editor the supreme leader picks, said Zarif had damaged national security and aided the United States.

The paper asked why he gave “the enemy breathing room” just when the United States appeared stuck. It also called his remarks a “suicidal attack” on the arms of national security.

Meanwhile, a hardline agency called on him to apologise. Another conservative outlet wondered if judges would take action. So far, however, no formal legal action has emerged.

Zarif led the foreign ministry between 2013 and 2021, a period that included the 2015 nuclear agreement. He has defended Iran’s regional military strength in the past, while also calling for greater reliance on trade and diplomacy.

A wider debate in Tehran

The row reflects a deeper split inside Iran over how to avoid another war with the United States. Hossein Marashi, a reformist party leader, urged Tehran to steer clear of any choice that might trigger fresh war.

Marashi said Tehran should take any necessary steps, “including any tactical retreat,” to protect the country. He argued that Iran could not keep all its nuclear goals, its military posture and its regional aims while also fixing its economy.

Omid Memarian, a senior Iran analyst at a democracy and human rights group, described a “profound and growing divide” within the country. He warned that Iranian leverage over the Strait of Hormuz could turn into a liability.

Trump, for his part, has ruled out new US strikes until after the November 3 midterms. Still, US preparations for possible operations continue, leaving Zarif’s call for diplomacy at the heart of a tense debate.