Zarif’s Menara: A Western Dream, A National Risk

On July 31, 2025, former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif published an article in The Guardian proposing the creation of a “Middle East Network for Atomic Research and Advancement” (Menara_or "al-Manara," as Zarif attempts to craft it to resemble an Arabic word meaning “lighthouse” with symbolic significance_)—a supposed civil-nuclear cooperative meant to foster peaceful atomic development in the region and prevent war. At face value, Zarif’s language may seem reasonable to Western diplomats and think tanks. But for those who understand the harsh realities of the Middle East and the decades-long Western campaign to isolate and contain the Islamic Republic, Zarif’s essay is not a plan to protect Iran—it is a veiled surrender.

A Western Lens for a Revolutionary Nation

Zarif continues to frame Iran’s nuclear program in terms palatable to the West, reducing a sovereign right to a technical issue of international reassurance. His proposal for a regional framework modeled on mutual inspections and trust is disconnected from reality. Israel, the United States, and their regional allies do not seek balance—they seek dominance. Any framework based on “mutual verification” will inevitably become a tool for foreign surveillance and sabotage of Iran’s capabilities.

By proposing Menara, Zarif aligns himself with the liberal internationalist vision espoused in European capitals and Washington think tanks—not the Islamic Republic’s foundational principles of independence, resistance, and strategic deterrence. His constant appeal to international norms reflects the mentality of a career diplomat trained in American universities, not the worldview of a statesman shaped by the blood and sacrifice of the Resistance Axis.

Zarif’s Diplomatic Legacy: Appeasement, Not Strength

Zarif’s track record speaks volumes. He was the architect of the failed 2015 JCPOA, which tied Iran’s hands and opened its nuclear facilities to unprecedented Western inspections—only to be betrayed by the United States when Trump unilaterally withdrew. And what did Zarif do? Did he demand retaliation? No. He spent years begging for the West’s return, mistaking humiliation for diplomacy.

Worse still, in his latest article, Zarif deliberately ignores the years of hybrid war waged against Iran—from assassinations to cyberattacks to crippling sanctions. He says nothing about the murder of our nuclear scientists, one after another, from Fakhrizadeh to others before and after him—all carried out with the clear complicity of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which effectively handed over the keys to our nuclear facilities to the enemy. Is this what Zarif means by “mutual verification”? Or does “cooperation” in his mind mean stripping Iran bare before the Mossad?

Now, in 2025, when Iran is under direct military and economic siege from the Zionist regime and its American backers, Zarif returns with more of the same: concessions disguised as cooperation. Instead of proposing regional resistance, strategic deterrence, or alliances with friendly nations, he proposes a multilateral technical body—an organization that would, in practice, place Iran’s peaceful nuclear program under regional (and Western-backed) scrutiny.

Would the Gulf States Ever Accept? Of Course Not.

Zarif’s proposal is also strategically naive. The Arab Gulf regimes—Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain—are firmly aligned with Washington and Tel Aviv. They host U.S. military bases, participate in covert normalization with Israel, and view Iran as a threat to their monarchies. They have no interest in nuclear cooperation with Tehran; instead, they seek Iran’s containment and fragmentation.

To pretend they would participate in Menara on equal footing with Iran is either delusional or deceptive. If implemented, this plan would become a Trojan horse to further limit Iran’s nuclear autonomy and enable Western leverage through regional proxies.