Hesamoddin Ashena became the first casualty of ‘Zarifgate’ Thursday [April 29], four days after a supposedly classified interview with Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, was broadcast by Iran International TV.

Did Ashena stand down or was he pushed?

According to the official news agency IRNA, the head of the Center for Strategic Studies, which organized March’s interview, had resigned. In contrast, Tasnim News Agency claimed President Hassan Rouhani had sacked his close associate.

The leaking of the audio file – as much as its content, in which Zarif bemoaned the role of the late general Qasem Soleimani and said Russia tried to attach last-minute conditions to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal – set off bitter accusations and counter-accusations in Tehran. Government opponents blamed Rouhani, Zarif, or Ashena. Government supporters pointed fingers at hardline critics of talks in Vienna over reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Recognizing the growing momentum building with Zarifgate, Rouhani announced Wednesday an investigation into what he called a "theft" of a “classified” document, which he said was designed to undermine the Vienna talks.

Hardliners focused fury on Ashena, playing on the meaning of his name (‘familiar’) to dub the affair ‘a familiar scandal,’ while also attacking Saeed Laylaz, who conducted the interview. The three hours of the interview broadcast are reportedly from a seven-hour Zarif epic that was part of an oral history project on the Rouhani presidency.

But principlist parliamentarians have also urged the judiciary to investigate the leak, demanded the opportunity to grill Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi, and proposed a parliamentary probe. Some have demanded Zarif be impeached.

Whether a sacking or resignation, Ashena’s departure seems unlikely to dampen the excitement among Iran’s political factions, with June’s presidential election approaching and the nuclear talks continuing.

It may also be difficult to establish who ‘leaked’ the file. Some, including Mohammad-Taghi Karroubi, son of reformist leader Mehdi Karroubi, have said the audio file was circulating in Iranian political circles for a few days before Iran International TV published it in a Clubhouse room.

Iranian news agencies have reported that Rouhani has appointed government spokesman Ali Rabiei as the new head of CSS. A former intelligence official, Rabiei will add the responsibility to his current position.