Former Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a leaked message the United Arab Emirates is equal to Israel and Tehran must focus on attacking the UAE while striking US and Israeli interests, according to screenshots of his remarks in a private Telegram group.
In the messages attributed to Zarif, the former top diplomat outlined a series of proposals related to Iran’s confrontation with the United States and Israel, including military pressure, diplomatic steps and measures he said could help stabilize the situation.
Zarif wrote that Iran should focus on striking “American and Israeli targets,” including US naval vessels and what he described as vital interests linked to Israel.
"We should focus on destroying the bridge between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in order to create real deterrence against mischief in the islands, and on striking the UAE (despite all the damage it might cause Iran)."
"The UAE and Israel are one and the same," he said.
The remarks also included a recommendation that Iran avoid attacks across the wider region “as much as possible,” while concentrating on specific targets that he said would have strategic impact.
Alongside military proposals, Zarif also suggested diplomatic and political steps. He wrote that mediation proposals should not be rejected and that Washington should be given an opportunity for what he described as an “honorable exit.”
He added that, despite his personal discomfort in saying so, the only move that might calm Trump would be an official declaration ending the “47-year hostility” between Iran and the United States and its allies.
Zarif wrote that US President Donald Trump “does not have the patience for long and technical plans” and that symbolic gestures might be more effective.
"To prevent war, I proposed several symbolic steps aimed at giving Trump a sense of victory, accompanied by a text that was very dignified for Iran. However, it was not even reviewed, and no explanation was requested."
He criticized what he described as a lack of engagement from incumbent Iranian officials, saying that since the start of the war he had not received any calls from his former colleagues at the foreign ministry regarding his proposals.
From Chinese fortune teller to quantum effect
Zarif, a US-educated university professor in Tehran, also mixed religious appeals with conspiracy claims, suggesting that prayers and repeated calls to prayer could help defeat what he called the “satanic schemes” of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Without joking, we should pray for the realization of the prediction that Trump will be defeated (as foretold by a Chinese fortune teller). Belief in God’s support has a situational (quantum) effect."
"At the suggestion of one of the saints, the call to prayer should be recited repeatedly so that the satanic schemes of Trump and Netanyahu — which, according to him, began by sacrificing 200 little girls (in the Epstein method) to achieve their evil goals — may be nullified," he said.
In the same message, Zarif emphasized the importance of public opinion inside Iran, urging officials to avoid actions that would anger different segments of society.
“We must win the people’s hearts through action, not words,” he wrote, adding that authorities should avoid provoking the public to satisfy the demands of a particular group.
