Zarif made the remarks in his latest post on Instagram, a couple of days after his resignation was rejected by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. The full text of the post is as follows:

In the Name of God

Hello my dear friends!

The deep sea of the affection of the great and brave nation of Iran and their respectable representatives, magnanimous remarks by my dear and honourable brother Brigadier General Qassem Soleimani, the generous and glorious letter of the Iranian President addressed to me, and the fatherly kindness and munificence of the wise leader of the Islamic Revolution, all in all, have doubled my determination and that of my colleagues at the Foreign Ministry to safeguard our national interests and the rights of the great nation of Iran.

This national unity and sympathy is the secret behind the victories of and progresses made by the great nation of Iran over the past four decades. It is also the main reason behind the failures of hegemonic powers, who seek to secure their interests by creating divisions among the Iranian society.

With the mutual trust between the Iranian nation and government as well as the growing will on the side of the Iranian officials to fulfil their duties within the law, the unwise hegemonic powers will achieve nothing by exerting pressure on Iran.

Despite their failures and the damages they sustained, the hegemonic powers still believe that [securing] their interests hinge on conducting costly but fruitless hegemony, exporting arms to regional states, destabilizing West Asia and exerting maximum pressure on the great nation of Iran.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has always maintained that diplomacy can gain field achievements in the regional and global arenas only through national power, domestic solidarity and public support.

Today, thank God, the courageous and brave measures by the champions of the battlefield of resistance and sacrifice, and the sincere efforts of the anonymous soldiers of our diplomacy apparatus have managed to foil the Zionists’ efforts to restore their nasty and dangerous project of portraying Iran as a threat to regional security. The measures have also established Iran’s constructive and peace-seeking role in fight against extremism and violence at the regional level.

Through sympathy and synergy and with constructive criticisms and God’s grace, it is hoped that the current shortcomings could be removed and economic progress and better living conditions could be achieved with hope and self-confidence.

Iranians, regardless of their political, religious or ethnic inclinations, are aboard the same boat. Now, ahead of Nowruz (Iranian New Year), we should turn our common concerns into a chance to promote security and progress inside the country and establish self-esteemed exchanges with the outside world so that the ship of our dear Iran could successfully move towards progress in the chaotic sea of post-western world.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani officially rejected the resignation of Zarif on Wednesday, saying it runs contrary to national interests.

In a letter addressed to Zarif, Rouhani noted that the top diplomat has been standing on the frontline of resistance against the US pressure campaign.

Meanwhile, a majority of Iranian lawmakers signed a letter to President Rouhani, calling on him to reject Foreign Minister Zarif’s resignation.

Separately on Wednesday, IRGC Quds Force Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani said that Zarif has the backing of senior Iranian officials, especially the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.

General Soleimani further described the top Iranian diplomat as the person in charge of Iran’s foreign policy.

“Mr Zarif is responsible for the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. During his term at the Foreign Ministry he has always enjoyed the support and approval of senior officials, particularly the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.” he said.