Javad Zarif, negotiator of Iran nuclear deal, backs reformist presidential candidate

Fiery former foreign minister enters campaign to elect consensual reformist Masoud Pezeshkian

Javad Zarif, the former foreign minister and probably the Iranian politician best known to the west, has thrown himself into the campaign to elect the reformist Masoud Pezeshkian as the country's president.

Zarif emerged from academia back to frontline politics to face heckling at public rallies, outright bans from one university and allegations that he is seeking to settle scores with those who thwarted his foreign policy when in office between 2013 and 2021.