Iranians’ message to hard-liners: ‘You break it, you own it’ Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. (Reuters) Short Url https://arab.news/yg5bk An audio recording of Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif was leaked last week to a Persian news channel in London. The highlight of the audio was his criticism of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), particularly the revered late commander Qassem Soleimani. Some said the leak of the recording was aimed at sabotaging any hope Zarif might have of running for president, while others thought it might be to exonerate him for the failures of foreign policy. Regardless of who leaked it, the audio exposes the schizophrenia in the system and puts the hard-liners, who are likely to win June’s presidential election, under the so-called Pottery Barn rule — i.e., “you break it, you own it,” meaning they will be responsible for the economic ailments of the country if diplomacy with the West fails.