The sudden resignation of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has predictably hit Iran as nothing short of an earthquake. However, before engaging in analysis of which dynamics are at play — and what the potential ramifications may be — it is useful to consider the procedural dimensions.

Zarif posted his resignation on his personal Instagram page at midnight, local time, on Monday. He expressed gratitude to “the dear and honorable Iranian people for the last 67 months,” apologizing for his “incapacity” to continue serving in his post.

Zarif has reportedly submitted an actual letter of resignation, as is required, to President Hassan Rouhani. The president can now either accept or reject the request. In the wake of Zarif’s Instagram post, several lawmakers — including fierce critics of Zarif — claimed that the foreign minister has submitted his resignation up to 14 times since becoming chief diplomat back in 2013. While these claims ought to be taken with a grain of salt, the reality is probably that this is not the first time Zarif has sought to step down, for whatever reason. In the meantime, Rouhani has yet to formally reject any resignation request.

Indeed, amid rumors in Tehran that Rouhani had accepted the resignation, Mahmoud Vaezi, the presidential chief of staff, took to Twitter to “strongly reject” such claims. Moreover, in an address at the central bank early Tuesday, broadcast on state television, Rouhani praised Zarif and the Foreign Ministry as combatants in the “front” against the United States, alongside the central bank and the Oil Ministry. No mention was made of any resignation. Instead, Vaezi took to Twitter once again, this time to claim that Rouhani’s remarks were “clear evidence” that the president was “wholly satisfied” with Zarif’s performance, and that the Islamic Republic has “one foreign policy and one foreign minister,” hinting at the chief diplomat’s apparent discontent with having been iced out of a recent meeting with Bashar al-Assad.