Recently a leaked audiotape has emerged as per which Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad
Javad Zarif has complained that Revolutionary Guards Corps call the shots, overruling many
government decisions and ignoring advice.
The recording, of a conversation in March was between Mr. Zarif and an economist named
Saeed Leylaz who is an ally.
The was not meant for publication, as the foreign minister can repeatedly be heard stating,
but it has found a way in the public domain
A copy was leaked to the London-based Persian news channel Iran International, which first
reported on the recording and shared it with The New York Times.
Mohammad Javad Zarif also said he regretted that the leak had triggered "domestic infighting,"
amid a furious reaction from conservative figures and nation's media outlets.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes how & why Iran's powerful military is sabotaging
the peace process with the U.S.?
Let's get started.
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Iran struck the nuclear deal in 2015 with China, France, Germany, Russia, the United
Kingdom and the United States.
The deal which is formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), saw
Iran drastically reduce its enrichment of uranium under the watch of IAEA inspectors
and in return got the economic sanctions removed.
The U.S under the Trump administration had unilaterally withdrawn from the deal citing
non-compliance and imposed stringent sanctions.
Since the U.S. exit, Iran has in response abandoned all the deal’s limits on its uranium
enrichment.
President Joe Biden, who took office in January, has said he is willing to re-enter the nuclear
deal.
Recently countries began negotiations in Vienna to find a way forward.
The Iranian government wants JCPOA to be restored and the current Biden administration is on
the same page.
So, technically Iran is expected to work in a mature manner and refrain from doing anything
which heightens tensions at this crucial juncture.
The Iranian military is doing the opposite.
Iranian fast-attack boats have charged at U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf.
As per reports, several armed Iranian vessels from the country's Revolutionary Guard Corps
harassed two U.S. Coast Guard ships over three hours in the Persian Gulf earlier this month.
The U.S. Navy has released videos and images showing the encounter.
While the disclosure came now, the incident took place on April 2.
This is no the only time, it has done so in recent times.
In this important moment, Iran's military has also tied to rub the U.S military in a
wrong way.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has released drone footage of an American
aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.
The video was released via Iran’s Tasnim news agency and the Iranian state-owned Press
TV news network.
The timing is important since it coincides with crucial talks that are underway on the
Iran nuclear deal in Vienna.
The video, purportedly shot by onboard cameras of an armed UAV undergoing flight tests, shows
a US Navy aircraft carrier operating in the Persian Gulf.
Through the leaked audio, Mr. Zarif confirms what many have long speculated: that his role
as the representative of the Islamic Republic on the world stage is severely constrained.
Decisions were dictated by the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Revolutionary
Guards Corps.
A strong civilian leadership and peaceful environment is a threat to the military.
Iran's military commanders would like tensions brewing since it will keep them in the limelight
and the armed forces will also get a disproportionate portion from the country's budget.
There is also a score to settle with the U.S.
On 3 January 2020, the U.S assassinated Iran's beloved & very influential general Qasem Soleimani.
From 1998 until his death in 2020, he was the commander of the Quds Force, an IRGC division
primarily responsible for extraterritorial and clandestine military operations.
The precision strike by the American MQ-9 Reaper Drone took out Soleimani along with
several officials from Iraqi militias backed by Tehran.
The hit also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iran-backed militias
known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF.
Additionally, there is also a Russian angle to it.
Mr. Zarif said Russia did not want the agreement to work out and “put all its weight” behind
creating obstacles because it was not in Moscow’s interests for Iran to normalize relations
with the West.
Mr. Zarif said General Suleimani traveled to Russia to “demolish our achievement,”
that is the nuclear deal.
Leaked audio from Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has raised a political storm amid
questions about who was behind its release at this key juncture for Iran and the region.
Zarif complains in the audio recording clearly indicating that several diplomatic moves were
compromised because of the IRGC's intervention.
"We paid for the [military] field more than the [military] paid for us,"
He said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of Iran had recently “forcefully rebuked”
him for straying from the official line when he said Iran was willing to work with the
United States to choreograph steps toward returning to a deal.
Mr. Khamenei seems to be on the side of IRGC.
As evident from the disclosures, there are multiple aspects and several forces are present
that don't want things to return to normal when it comes to the U.S & Iran relationship.
In this scenario, the Biden administration needs to extra be vigilant as it is clear
that there are multiple power circles in Iran and not all are looking for peace.