TEHRAN: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has appointed Mohammad Javad Zarif as the Strategic Deputy of the President, assigning him responsibility for the Center for Strategic Studies, according to state-run news agency IRNA.
Zarif, who served as Foreign Minister from 2013 to 2021 under former President Hassan Rouhani, was instrumental in negotiating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and Germany.
The JCPOA, known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, was endorsed by the UNSC and resulted in the lifting of economic sanctions on Iran.
However, former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement on May 8, 2018, and imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, a decision that drew widespread international criticism.
