Iranian Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif has stepped down on the "advice" of the country's judiciary chief, Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejei.

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's former foreign minister pivotal to the 2015 nuclear deal, reportedly resigned amid mounting hard-liner pressure. His departure highlights Tehran's retreat from the West, exacerbated by President Trump's sanctions.

Zarif said he had 'faced the most horrible insults, slander and threats against myself and my family, and I have gone through the most bitter period of my 40 years of service.'

Zarif had already been at the center of controversies in Iran because some politicians had critiqued him over the last several months.

Following the dismissal of Iran's economy minister, influential Vice President Mohammad Javad Zarif has also announced his resignation, according to state news agency IRNA. Zarif submitted his resignation to President Masoud Pezeshkian,

Iran's Vice-President for Strategic Affairs Javad Zarif announced his resignation on Monday in another setback for reformists, seven months after moderate President Masoud Pezeshkian took office. It followed the dismissal on Sunday of Iran's economy minister Abdolnaser Hemmati by the country's parliament,