Zarif:

Trump’s blunt remarks to help advance Iran’s objectives

TEHRAN (defapress) – Foreign Minister Zarif said Trump’s blunt anti-Iran remarks would in fact help advance Iran’s policies and reassure the world that the country is the safest haven for investment.

News ID: 66409

Date: 15 October 2017 - 10:14

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif made the remarks in a televised interview Saturday night, adding that US President’s anti-Iran speech on Friday was due to Trump’s failure in advancing his policies.

"The US has made many mistakes in the Middle East, and is now concerned over the influence of Iran on regional countries, but they need to understand that such an influence was gained because Iran has made all the right choices,” he said.

Zarif went on to add, "the current policy of Mr. Trump is doomed to fail. With wisdom and resilience, Iran will prevent Trump and the Zionist regime from depicting the country as an international security threat once again.”

When asked to comment on Trump’s use of the word ‘rogue’ for Iran, Zarif said "rogue is better suited to describe someone who, ever since taking office, has walked out of any agreement to which the US government had been committed.”

"Trump withdrew from many agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Paris climate accord, or even more recently, UNESCO, all in support of the Zionist regime,” he added.

Zarif quoted Richard Haass, the President of the US Council on Foreign Relations, as calling Trump administration’s doctrine to be the "withdrawal doctrine”, adding "the best definition for ‘rogue’ is someone who feels no commitment to any agreements, and this describes Trump’s approach perfectly.”

About the nuclear deal, he said "the course of the nuclear negotiations showed that that we did not trust the US government from the start, and the text of the deal was drawn up on the basis of distrust.”

"The nuclear deal is a solid document that has withstood all US threats of ripping it up for nine long months,” Zarif said. "The US government and Donald Trump are not in a place to comment on non-compliance with the nuclear deal.”

The Iranian top diplomat also noted that he would write a letter in two or three days in rejection of Donald Trump’s speech against Iran.

"The US is in the process of isolating itself by the kind of policies it has adopted,” Zarif said. "No country will ever be willing to sign any agreements with the US when the US president practically announces that all agreements with Washington is valid only as long as one term of office.”

"The nuclear deal is a hard pill to swallow for Washington because it obliges them to grant concessions to the other side; that is why Trump has called it the worst agreement for the US,” Zarif concluded.