The senior IRGC general made the remarks in a meeting with Zarif at the Foreign Ministry in Tehran on Saturday morning, thanking the top diplomat for his “honest” words and his efforts to safeguard Iran’s national interests.
Soleimani denounced the American sanctions against Zarif as “insane” and “a sign of the White House’s absolute defeat.”
“The US measure proved that you — as the person in charge of the country’s foreign policy — have a profound influence on public opinion, especially that of the American nation, when it comes to [shedding light on] the ignorance of that country’s leaders,” the senior military official told Zarif.
On July 31, the US Treasury Department said that it was imposing sanctions on Zarif — whom it described as Iran’s “primary spokesperson around the world” — for acting on behalf of Leader of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
The bans drew condemnations from Iranian statesmen and military officials. The European Union — which has been cooperating with Zarif in a successful diplomatic process on Iran’s nuclear program — also expressed regret over Washington’s bans.
Zarif, himself, mocked the bans and said the US’s “reason for designating me is that I am Iran’s ‘primary spokesperson around the world’. Is the truth really that painful?”
He reiterated that the sanctions “have no effect” on him or his family, as they “have no property or interests outside of Iran.”