The "sudden" and "enigmatic" resignation by Nikki Haley from her position as US ambassador to the United Nations hit the headlines of most Iranian papers Oct. 10, as they reviewed her anti-Iran stances and particularly her vehement opposition to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Pejoratively describing the US diplomat as "the anti-Iran sheriff," Reformist paper Etemad recalled her "show" in Washington where she gathered ambassadors to present what she claimed was evidence of Iranian military aid to Yemen's Houthi fighters. The editorial dug into the roots of Haley's "blind hostility" toward Iran in her "fervent support for Israel during her youth … a sentiment that she still maintains with no less passion."

"Haley is too ambitious to think of anything less than the presidency in 2020 or 2024," Etemad concluded, a prediction that was also raised by Reform-leaning daily Hamdeli.

Haley's anti-Iran positions were the central themes in the Iranian media’s coverage of her resignation, which featured speculations about the reasons for her decision to step aside later this year. According to Khorasan, the US diplomat's resignation could be traced to her idea for President Donald Trump to chair the Sept. 26 UN Security Council meeting on nonproliferation, which focused on Iran. It described the session as a "political failure" for both Haley and the US government. "All those present at the meeting criticized the US withdrawal from the Iran [nuclear] deal, prompting Trump's departure from the session ahead of schedule," wrote Mardomsalari under a headline that referred to Haley as "the enemy of the United Nations." The world body, according to the editorial, will now enjoy "a sigh of relief" for some time before Trump assigns a new envoy.