TEHRAN, YJC. Zarif's full interview with CNN.
![](https://cdn.yjc.ir/files/en/news/2014/1/23/12601_770.jpg)
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif insisted Wednesday
that the Obama administration mischaracterizes concessions by his side in the
six-month nuclear deal with Iran, telling CNN in an exclusive interview that
"we did not agree to dismantle anything."
Zarif told CNN Chief National
Security Correspondent Jim Sciutto that terminology used by the White House to
describe the agreement differed from the text agreed to by Iran and the other
countries in the talks -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and
Germany.
"The White House version
both underplays the concessions and overplays Iranian commitments" under
the agreement that took effect Monday, Zarif said in Davos, Switzerland, where
he was attending the World Economic Forum.
As part of the accord, Iran was
required to dilute its stockpile of uranium that had been enriched to 20%, well
above the 5% level needed for power generation but still below the level for
developing a nuclear weapon.
In addition, the deal mandated
that Iran halt all enrichment above 5% and "dismantle the technical
connections required to enrich above 5%," according to a White House fact
sheet issued in November after the initial agreement was reached.
Zarif accused the Obama
administration of creating a false impression with such language.
"The White House tries to
portray it as basically a dismantling of Iran's nuclear program. That is the
word they use time and again," he said, urging Sciutto to read the actual
text of the agreement. "If you find a single, a single word, that even
closely resembles dismantling or could be defined as dismantling in the entire
text, then I would take back my comment."
He repeated that "we are not
dismantling any centrifuges, we're not dismantling any equipment, we're simply
not producing, not enriching over 5%."
"You don't need to
over-emphasize it," Zarif said of the White House language. A separate
summary sent out by the White House last week did not use the word dismantle.
In an interview with CNN's Fareed
Zakaria on Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani echoed Zarif's
statement, saying the government will not destroy existing centrifuges.
However, he added: "We are ready to provide confidence that there should
be no concern about Iran's program."
Responding to Zarif's comments to
CNN, a senior administration official said "we expected that the Iranians
would need to spin this for their domestic political purposes, and are not
surprised they are doing just that."
Iranian and U.S. officials have
tried to sell the nuclear agreement to domestic opponents in their respective
countries who could scuttle it.
Iranian officials have called the
interim pact a victory and said it failed to halt the nation's nuclear
development program, while U.S. officials say the agreement essentially froze
Iran's nuclear program and rolled back some capabilities.
Zarif noted the political
pressure facing both sides, which includes a push in Congress for more
sanctions against Iran that Tehran warns would destroy any chance for success
in talks on a long-range nuclear agreement intended to prevent development of
an Iranian nuclear weapon.
"All of us are facing
difficulties and oppositions and concerns and misgivings," he said, noting
he had been summoned Wednesday to Iran's parliament to answer questions.
Asked about his relationship with
Secretary of State John Kerry, Zarif called it "very difficult because
we're both going into these negotiations with a lot of baggage."
Progress has been made, he said,
but "it's yet too early to talk about trust."
Zarif and Rouhani traveled to
Switzerland for annual gathering of world political and business leaders in
Davos as a new round of Syrian talks started in Montreux before moving to
Geneva.
Iran, a major backer of Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad, was invited to the Syrian talks by U.N. Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon, then disinvited under pressure from the United States
because Tehran refused to endorse conditions in a previous agreement setting up
the talks.
"We do not like the way Iran
was treated," he said, adding "it did not enhance the credibility of
the United Nations or the office of the Secretary General."
Zarif expressed hope that the
Syrian talks could succeed, but he criticized Syrian opposition groups and
their supporters that opposed Iran's participation in the talks for what he
called spreading extremism and trying to impose their will on the Syrian
people.
He explained Iran's support for
the Syrian government, a longtime ally, by saying "Iran finds itself in a
situation where we see the very prominent and serious danger of terrorism,
extremism, sectarian tension being fed from outside and creating a very
dangerous environment in Syria."
To Zarif, an agreement among
Syrians that brings a democratically elected government is the only solution,
and he dismissed concerns that a free and fair vote would be impossible with
al-Assad in power and running as a candidate.
Kerry said earlier Wednesday in
Montreux that there was "no way" al-Assad will be part of a
transitional government sought by the Geneva talks.
"Why don't we talk about
it?" Zarif asked. "And why don't we allow the Syrians to talk about
how they can conduct a free and fair election? Why do people need to set an
agenda and impose their agenda on the Syrian people?"
Sciutto also asked Zarif about
his visit last week to lay a wreath at the grave of Hezbollah leader Imad
Mugniyah in Lebanon.
The United States condemned the
gesture, saying Mugniyah was "responsible for heinous acts of terrorism
that killed hundreds of innocent people, including Americans," said a
statement by National Security Council spokesperson Caitlin Hayden.
Zarif responded that his visit
should be seen in the same context as the U.S. delegation that attended the
recent funeral of Ariel Sharon, the former Israeli leader who was defense
minister when mass killings occurred at refugee camps under his command in
1982.
"It's a decision based on
national perceptions and national beliefs," he said, describing Mugniyah
as a revered figure for resisting Israeli occupation while calling Sharon
responsible for the massacre of Palestinians and Lebanese in the Sabra and
Shatila camps.
"I believe Sabra and Shatila
were crimes against humanity," Zarif said.