Calling Zarif “Iran's dealmaker”, the magazine says Zarif is the happy face of Iran’s revolution.

Time magazine has listed “happy face” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in the list of 100 Most Influential People 2015. The magazine released the list on April 16. The list was divided into 5 categories: Titans, Pionees, Artists, Leaders and Icons, with Zarif being among the most influential world leaders.

Calling Zarif “Iran's dealmaker”, the magazine said Zarif is the happy face of Iran’s revolution.

It said Zarif helped end the Iran-Iraq War, free American hostages in Lebanon and broker a new Afghan government after the Taliban’s defeat.

“Now, as foreign minister, he’s the pivot in nuclear diplomacy. For 18 months, the world’s six major powers have courted him as they have no other foreign official. The goal is to formalize the blueprint of a nuclear deal by June 30,” it said.

“Educated at two American universities, Zarif is well qualified to reconcile the revolutionaries and the world. As Iran’s ambassador to the UN, he engaged many in Congress. In March, an Iranian poll picked Zarif as man of the year,” it added.

“After a deal, Zarif would be the natural go-to guy for broader détente with the world too.”

Other personalities that landed on the Leaders category are included: Raúl Castro, Narenda Modi, Angela Merkel, Bob Corker, Rula Ghani, Muhammadu Buhari, Alexis Tsipras, Vladimir Putin, Obiageli Ezekwesili, Elizabeth Warren, Haider Al-Abadi, Joko Widodo, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Xi Jinping, Jeb Bush, Tom Frieden, Samantha Power, Kim Jong Un, Abubakar Shekau, Benjamin Netanyahu, Hillary Clinton, Martin Dempsey, Beji Caid Essebsi, Adam Silver, Lu Wei, Marine Le Pen, Barack Obama, Mitch McConnell, and Joanne Liu.

MD/PA