Zarif: the leaked tape is "selectively edited"

Shafaq News / Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said he favors a "smart adjustment" between the military and diplomatic spheres, in his first comments on his leaked audiotape.

Zarif wrote on Instagram on April 28 that the "main point" of his remarks in the tape was, "the need for a smart adjustment of the relationship between these two wings" and "setting priorities through legal structures and under the great purview of the supreme leader."

In an Instagram post, Zarif said he deplored the fact that “a secret theoretical talk regarding the need for synergy between diplomacy and the [military] field...turns into domestic infighting."

"Honest and passionate" argument in a private setting had been misconstrued as "personal criticism," the Minister added.

The Foreign Ministry had described the recording as “selectively edited" and represents a small part of a seven-hour interview that included "personal opinions."

Meanwhile, the Tehran prosecutor's office said it had opened a criminal case into the matter, according to Fars news agency.