Iran’s political establishment has intensified its backlash against former president Hassan Rouhani and former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif over their recent remarks on Russia, with parliament members and former officials accusing them of undermining national unity.
Abbas Goudarzi, spokesman for the parliament presidium, accused Rouhani of “disturbing public opinion and weakening national unity” and called on the judiciary to investigate what he described as Zarif’s “anti-Russia remarks.”
His comments, published on Saturday by Tasnim News Agency, came amid growing debate over Iran’s strategic partnership with Russia and China.
Rouhani has recently renewed calls for dialogue with the West and the United States, while Zarif said on October 17 that Moscow’s foreign policy toward Tehran rests on two red lines: “Iran must not normalize relations with the world and must not enter direct confrontation with it.”
“The judiciary must respond decisively,” Goudarzi said. “National security cannot be left in the hands of those who did nothing when in power and now seem upset to see a new global order forming.”
“Today Russia and China stand by the Islamic Republic and by truth itself, taking good positions against America’s unilateralism and condemning the wrongful actions of European countries. Unfortunately, some from within are sending negative signals."
"When they were in positions of responsibility, they leaned entirely toward the West, but now that we are witnessing a positive approach in foreign policy, the same people are pouring water into the enemy’s mill, creating obstacles and placing sticks in the wheels,” he added.
Lawmakers and former officials join criticism
Vahid Ahmadi, a member of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, also rejected criticism of Iran’s alignment with Russia and China.
“Those who are sensitive about our friendship with the East are either hostile, uninformed, or influenced by certain propaganda,” he said on Saturday in remarks quoted by Fararu website.
“We have long-term 20- and 25-year agreements with Russia and China as partners, and we are acting based on the national interests of our country,” Ahmadi added.
Former foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki, who served under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, also joined the criticism of Rouhani.
“During his government’s nuclear negotiations with the United States, Rouhani adopted the worst possible approach. By referring to America as ‘the village elder,’ he effectively disarmed himself and handed the upper hand to the other side,” he said.
Earlier, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also accused Rouhani and Zarif of damaging Tehran-Moscow relations, which he described as progressing well.
Despite the 20-year strategic cooperation agreement signed earlier this year between Tehran and Moscow, the exchange has laid bare widening divisions within Iran’s political establishment over the country’s reliance on Russia, as critics warn that Moscow sees Iran largely as leverage in its standoff with the West.
The recent confrontation in June had shattered long-standing assumptions about Israel’s military power, Saeed Khatibzadeh said.
“The myth of Israel’s invincibility collapsed after Iran’s response,” he added, describing Tehran’s military action as a turning point that proved Iran’s capacity to retaliate.
Earlier this year, the United States held five rounds of negotiations with Tehran over its disputed nuclear program under a 60-day deadline set by President Donald Trump.
When no agreement was reached by the 61st day, on June 13, Israel launched a surprise military offensive, followed by US strikes on June 22 targeting key nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow.
“Iran has no choice but to secure a decisive victory against the aggressor,” Khatibzadeh said, arguing that any attack on Iran would be met with a response aimed at ensuring that “the aggressor will undoubtedly regret its decision.”
‘We are peace-seeking, but we fight well’
Iran does not seek confrontation but will not hesitate to defend itself, Khatibzadeh said. “We are a peace-seeking people, but if war is imposed on us, we fight well… We never sought confrontation, but they chose the path of confrontation.”
The deputy minister linked Iran’s stance to what he called the “geopolitical ambitions” of the United States and Israel, urging other countries to recognize Iran’s right to defend itself.
“We have never accepted the language of force,” he said. “Our message is clear: respect, justice, and balance must define international relations.”
The 12-day conflict ended on June 24 after a US-brokered ceasefire, but global alarm over Tehran’s nuclear program deepened as 400 kilograms of Iran’s highly enriched uranium remained unaccounted for.
Tehran says the material lies buried beneath debris from US and Israeli airstrikes, rendering it unreachable, yet it has so far refused to grant international inspectors access to the damaged sites.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran had managed the June war with Israel effectively and prevented it from spreading to the wider region, according to the Qatari network. He said Iran was fully prepared for any new confrontation and warned that Israel would face “another defeat” if fighting resumed.
Araghchi said Iranian nuclear sites were damaged in the war but its enrichment technology remained intact, with nuclear materials still at the bombed facilities.
He said Iran would not accept Western pressure and was ready for indirect talks with Washington to reach what he called a fair agreement on its nuclear program. Tehran was willing to address international concerns, he added, but would not make concessions after being attacked.
His remarks came a day after Egypt said it had urged both Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency to end the standoff over inspections of damaged nuclear sites. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said he conveyed the appeal to Araghchi and IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in separate calls aimed at reviving cooperation.
Iran suspended full cooperation with the UN watchdog after the June war with Israel and the United States, which struck several nuclear facilities. Under a post-war law, inspections now require approval by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and exclude access to the bombed sites.
Western powers accuse Tehran of hiding military dimensions to its program, while Iran insists its nuclear work is peaceful.
Tensions with Washington have sharpened after US President Donald Trump ordered the first American nuclear weapons tests in more than three decades. Araghchi called the move a regressive and irresponsible step and said it showed what he called US hypocrisy for condemning Iran’s nuclear work while restarting its own testing.
