Iran's President Hassan Rouhani orders probe into leaked audio 'conspiracy'
Hassan Rouhani
The Iranian government has said that an investigation has been ordered into the "conspiracy" of leaked audio in which Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the military and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) are too influential in diplomacy.
President Hassan Rouhani ordered the investigation to identify who leaked the "stolen" three-hour-long recording by top diplomat and member of his moderate government Mohammad Javad Zarif, the spokesman said.
The tape, which comes ahead of presidential elections in June, has dominated the discussion in the Islamic republic since its publication by media outlets outside Iran on Sunday.
"We believe this theft of documents is a conspiracy against the government, the system, the integrity of effective domestic institutions, and also against our national interests," government spokesman Ali Rabiei told reporters.
"The president has ordered the intelligence ministry to identify the agents of this conspiracy," he added.
The file was "stolen for clear reasons", he said, without elaborating further.
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Foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh did not deny the authenticity of the recording but said on Monday that it was cut from a seven-hour interview that included "personal opinions".
Zarif did not comment on the controversy, but published on Tuesday a brief audio message on Instagram, saying "I believe you should not work for history... I say that don't worry about history so much, but worry about God and the people".
He did not specify when he recorded this message.
The leaked remarks sparked harsh criticism from conservative media and politicians, with the mention of Iran's slain general Qasem Soleimani hitting a nerve.
Soleimani, considered one of the prominent architects of Iranian regional policy, was killed early last year in an American drone strike in Baghdad, ordered by former US President Donald Trump.
The leak and probe come ahead of presidential elections on June 18, which will see the moderate Rouhani step down after two terms in office and after conservatives fared well in parliamentary elections last year.
(With inputs from agencies)