Zarif noted that Americans never suffer consequences from breaking their promises and tend to renege whenever possible. “One day we saw Mr. Kerry with a paper in his hand, proposing that we suspend the resolutions every six months. This meant we would have to go back to the UN Security Council every six months. Although the resolutions would automatically extend, they could be put to a vote upon the request of two Security Council members. If that had happened, the JCPOA would have expired six years ago,” Zarif said. He added, “I asked Kerry, ‘What kind of proposal is this you have brought for us? Are you insulting my intelligence?’ Kerry responded, ‘No, I am not insulting your intelligence. This is what your friend Lavrov proposed. He knew that Lavrov and I have been friends since 1994.’”
“In 1399 [2020/2021], while Iran was not implementing any of its JCPOA commitments, the U.S. sought to implement the snapback. Thirteen UN Security Council members sent a letter stating that the U.S. could not do this. In the vote, 11 members abstained, while China and Russia voted against. The only time Russia and China were aligned with Iran was during my tenure, because when Ahmadinejad was in office, Russia had voted in favor of all Chapter VII resolutions of the Security Council. That same Russia had also prevented Iran from joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization due to Iran’s involvement in the UN Security Council’s Chapter VII. Lavrov seems to have forgotten this,” Zarif said.
Zarif pointed out that the evidence and documents are included in his book, The Sealed Secret, showing that the U.S. and five other powers stated, “our leverage is the Security Council.” Lavrov himself reportedly said in a decision-making session, “I will not allow them to take away our veto right.” Zarif added, “Now he claims that I did this, but I had refrained from speaking about it until now.”
Zarif said, “Lavrov claims I opposed Iran’s weaponry sanctions. When I entered the session, he told me, ‘Javad, they will not grant you a permit for more than five years. Do you agree or not?’ I said no. He then asked, ‘Why are you wasting our time? Do you have a permit from Tehran?’ I firmly replied, ‘This is none of your business.’ That same night, the JCPOA was finalized and a deal was reached, despite Lavrov having been instructed to prevent it. Later, he went to Russia, gave interviews, and claimed, ‘We were against the weaponry sanctions, but Zarif forced us to accept them.’ Now, that same narrative is being quoted domestically.”
Zarif added that the Russians both publicized General Qassem Soleimani’s trip to Moscow and revealed the transfer of Iranian drones to Russia during the Ukraine war, even though he and Soleimani had negotiated in Iraq and Turkey and no information had leaked.
“I still believe in strategic ties with Russia and China, but they do not act in Iran’s interest,” Zarif said.
“Russia’s policy is explicit. Russia is an important country in our neighborhood, but it has two red lines: first, Iran must never have normal relations with the world; second, Iran must not enter into conflict with the world. For this reason, Russia supported the temporary Geneva Agreement, which temporarily prevented conflict.
“Many inside Iran believed a temporary deal was acceptable, but as soon as comprehensive negotiations began, Russia’s game started. In the temporary deal, we stated that our enrichment needs were for Bushehr and 190,000 SWU, and Natanz for the same purpose. In February 1392 [2013], at the beginning of comprehensive negotiations, the Russians said, ‘We will provide the full needs of Bushehr until the end of its operational life,’ effectively putting an end to our requirements. We asked, ‘Are we supposed to rely on Russia forever?’ They told us that Iran would not be allowed to place its produced fuel in Bushehr, and if it did, they would not guarantee Bushehr’s security, because they knew that if the JCPOA was finalized, Iran’s relations with the world would normalize, which Russia considers a red line.”
“All of this is documented and published in my book, The Sealed Secret,” Zarif concluded.
Avash News