Iran’s Vice President, Mohammed Javad Zarif, has resigned from President Massud Pezeshkian’s cabinet, only 11 days after gaining office.
Zarif announced his resignation on X, saying, “I am not satisfied with my work and regret that I have not been able to fulfil expectations.”
The resignation is allegedly not unconnected to his dissatisfaction with the selection of ministers in Pezeshkian’s new cabinet.
Zarif stated that at least seven of the 19 nominated ministers were not his ideal picks, which influenced his decision to step down.
This is the second major hurdle for Pezeshkian since taking office at the end of July.
The first issue concerned the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Zarif, a key participant in Pezeshkian’s election campaign, was anticipated to help carry out reforms and a new foreign policy.
However, the cabinet list offered by Pezeshkian did not correspond to the reform objectives, implying potential involvement from Iran’s hardline elements.
Zarif, Iran’s chief diplomat from 2013 to 2021 and a key player in the 2015 nuclear accord, was expected to spearhead attempts to resume nuclear talks and relieve economic sanctions.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
