After the creation of the Independent State of Croatia in April 1941, he served as ambassador to Italy and to Bulgaria, and then as Foreign Minister.

He was forced to resign from his ministerial post in April 1944 after a string of incidents in which his attitude and behavior irritated senior Axis leaders, including Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

He started to cooperate with Ante Pavelić in 1928 when both of them joined the list of Split-Dubrovnik County of Croatian Bloc during the 1928 elections.

[8] Perić was recalled from duty on 8 April 1943 because of his action against Italian Ambassador to Croatia, Raffaele Casertano.

Perić protested and demanded punishment for German soldiers who had robbed Ston during the November and December 1943.

[citation needed] In March 1944, members of the 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen were involved in mass killings of civilians during operations around Sinj and Poljica in Dalmatia.

After a complaint from Edo Bulat [hr], the NDH Minister for Liberated Areas, Perić directed the NDH chargé d'affaires in Berlin, Tomislav Sambugnach to lodge a sharp note of protest with the German Foreign Ministry.