Iranian official on nuke deal: 'We did not agree to dismantle anything'
updated 8:59 PM EST, Wed January 22, 2014
Iranian FM: Deal is not a dismantling
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment