Iranian 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.
He also called for the lifting of economic sanctions and the signing of a non-aggression pact and even restoration of diplomatic ties between Iran and the United States.
Rouhani, for his part, said the country should be prepared to end the war in a way that serves national interests and the public, stressing the need to coordinate resources to prevent attacks on Persian Gulf islands and maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz. He added that preserving the country and the Islamic Republic requires immediate policy reforms.
Hardliner threatens raid on Zarif’s home
Zarif became a target at several state-organized rallies across Tehran on Friday night, where his photos were torched and demonstrators held placards calling him and Rouhani “traitors” and agents of the United States, urging their execution.
In one of these rallies, Saeed Haddadian, a famous religious vocalist with close ties to the establishment, called Zarif a “traitor” and threatened to raid his home if he fails to retract his remarks within three days.
“Security officials! Are you waiting for Zarif to write on his forehead that he has sold himself to the United States?” Haddadian said. “Mr. Zarif, you have no damn right to prescribe solutions for the Islamic Republic. You have no damn right to speak!”
“Even someone who is blind, deaf, and mute can understand that you are a traitor. In the middle of this proposal you call for improved relations between Iran and the US, an enemy that killed my leader and has shown such disrespect to Iran,” Haddadian said.
“I give Zarif three days. If he does not say he screwed up, on the fourth night we will gather and go to (storm) his house.”
Responding to the attacks, Rouhani’s former advisor Hesamoddin Ashna urged hardliners to read Zarif’s Foreign Affairs article in full and not judge it by its title.
“If you read the article in full, you will realize that at its core, Zarif’s text is a warning to Western countries about shifting dynamics. Remember: don’t judge a book by its cover—and don’t judge an article by its title,” he said in a post on X.
“Article titles—even for submitted pieces in major publications—are determined by editors, not the author,” he added.