The story: Mohammad Javad Zarif has brought down the curtains on eight years as Iran’s foreign minister—and indeed four decades as a diplomat—by bidding farewell in an Instragram video and on Twitter. Many Iranians and foreign dignitaries on social media wished him well and said they would miss his contributions to the cause of diplomacy. Others could not wait to see him exit active service in the government.

The coverage: Foreign Minister Zarif on Aug. 22 published a five-minute Persian-language video on his personal Instagram account...