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TEHRAN, October 7 - Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif slammed as ill-informed US President Donald Trump’s comments on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, and his threats to walk away from it as harmful to US interests.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Speaking to Al Jazeera, Zarif said Trump’s remarks would not “help peace and security in the region” and would harm the long-term interests of the United States.
Trump has repeatedly described the nuclear agreement, which was negotiated by the Obama administration and enshrined under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, as “the worst deal ever”.
“I think it is an ill-informed statement, because certainly, any deal would not be a perfect deal for all sides; it has to be less than perfect so all sides can live with it,” Zarif said, warning that the international community could never trust the US again if it violated the deal.
Zarif said any breaches of the deal by the US would result in Iran’s partial or complete withdrawal from the agreement, noting that Tehran would be undeterred by threats of sanctions.
“The nuclear deal is the result of 10 years of posturing and two years of negotiations.
Unfortunately, this administration is going back to posturing,” he said. “They [US leaders] have immunized us to US sanctions. From a global perspective, it would seem the United States is addicted to sanctions.”
Zarif also condemned Israel and Saudi Arabia for their role in urging the US to renege on the agreement.
Referring to the strained relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Zarif said there was a willingness for rapprochement.
“We are willing to talk to Saudi Arabia about our difference ... We do not believe that Iran and Saudi Arabia should have the type of relationship they have right now.”
He, however, condemned Saudi Arabia for its support of terrorist groups in Syria and its aggression on Yemen, as well as its treatment of Qatar.
“We believe the posture in the Persian Gulf by Saudi Arabia is not a positive one, [like] the policies they pursue against Qatar,” Zarif said, adding that Saudi Arabia was using claims of Iranian expansionism to justify its own attempts to exert influence in the region.
“The concepts they are using to muddy the waters, policies that have brought unfortunate disastrous consequences for our region, cannot be justified by these smokescreens of exporting revolutions.”
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