Iran criticizes US official Sherman’s remarks

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has criticized the recent offensive remarks by US Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman about the Islamic Republic.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said on Tuesday that the US official’s comments not only run counter to the principle of mutual respect but indicate Sherman’s lack of knowledge about the conditions of the Iranian nation.

At a meeting with US Senators on October 3, Sherman, who is the State Department’s third-ranking official, used offensive language apparently targeted at Iranians by saying, “We know that deception is part of the DNA.”

Afkham said it is “resistance against any form of bullying” that is part of the Iranians’ DNA.

Earlier on Tuesday, Spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Iran’s Majlis Hossein Naqavi Hosseini also slammed Sherman’s remarks and said, “The repetition of such rhetoric by the US officials will lead to the Iranian nation and government’s distrust of the US.”

Meanwhile, in response to a question about Sherman’s comments, US State Department Deputy Spokeswoman Marie Harf said, “I think first that doubtless each side has said things that have offended the other side over the last, what, thirty years now, and each side has commented publicly on its inability to trust the other side.”

“This mistrust has deep roots, and we don’t think it can be overcome overnight, but we made some progress last week in Geneva, and we hope to continue making progress, including with additional bilateral meetings going forward,” Harf added.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, China, Russia, France and Britain – plus Germany held two days of negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear energy program behind closed doors in the Swiss city of Geneva on October 15-16 and agreed to meet again in Geneva on November 7-8.