Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian is expected to appear before parliament on Wednesday to answer questions by lawmakers, who accuse the current government’s diplomatic staff of not getting rid of the so-called “New York gang,” the official IRNA news agency reported.
The deputies are calling for an explanation of “the reasons for keeping the New York gang in the ministry of Foreign Affairs,” which is the name given to the circle of former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, and his predecessor, former Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, who is currently chairing the Supreme Strategic Committee for Foreign Policy.
The committee reports to the office of the Iranian spiritual leader and contributes to the design of foreign policy paths. It is also seen as a parallel body to the ministry of Foreign Affairs.
IRNA news agency stated that the “New York gang” was a term used to “designate the forces that tend to communicate with the West,” adding that the question was raised by the representative of the city of Mashhad.
The deputy says: “Given the change in the government’s path, what is the reason behind the current approach of the minister of Foreign Affairs... and the preservation and promotion of the New York gang, and the circle of Zarif’s entourage in the ministry of Foreign Affairs?”
The IRNA news agency implicitly criticized the parliament's insistence on maintaining pressure on Abdollahian in this regard.
“The minister of Foreign Affairs is going to parliament this week to answer the question raised since the beginning of the 13th government... Two years have passed and the forces loyal to the government are assuming basic responsibilities in the ministry, and are planning to advance the foreign policy desired by the spiritual leader (Ali Khamenei) and the president (Ibrahim Raisi),” the news agency said.
