Having previously declared that he wishes to leave office after ten days on the job, Mohammad Javad Zarif has resumed his duties as Iran’s vice president for strategic affairs. As senior informed sources in Tehran told Amwaj.media at the time, the resignation in early August was driven by disappointment with some of President Masoud Pezeshkian’s hiring decisions, which overlooked campaign pledges and the recommendations of the Zarif-led transition team. Additionally, there was disarray over an apparent hardliner attempt to seize on a law targeting officials with ties to the west.

Zarif first signaled that he wanted to exit the cabinet only days after his appointment, informing Pezeshkian on the morning of...