Iran audio leak sought to sow discord amid N-talks: Rouhani

Tehran: An audiotape of Iran’s top diplomat bemoaning the military’s influence was leaked to sow "discord" during talks focused on reviving an international nuclear deal, President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday, after the recording stirred domestic controversy.

The recording of Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif was published by media outside Iran, triggering a heated debate inside the country ahead of presidential elections. The talks in Vienna are aimed at getting the United States to return to the agreement it abandoned under former president Donald Trump, lift sanctions, and Iran to resume full compliance with nuclear obligations it retreated from in response.

Rouhani said the audio was leaked just as the Vienna talks were "at the height of their success, so that it creates discord inside" the Islamic republic.