Zarif hits back at US official for ‘military option’ remark

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says those who have used the language of force against the Islamic Republic after the successful conclusion of negotiations between the country and the P5+1 are incapable of properly engaging in diplomacy.

“At a time when the world [has] considered last week’s agreement in [the Austrian capital of] Vienna the victory of diplomacy over war and violence, unfortunately, there still are people who speak of the illegal and illegitimate use of force to achieve their delusional objectives,” Zarif told IRNA on Monday.

Zarif made the remarks after US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Sunday that the agreement between Iran and the P5+1 countries does not prevent Washington from using military force against the Islamic Republic.

“One of the reasons why this deal is a good one is that it does nothing to prevent the military option,” Carter told reporters on board a flight to Israel.

In his Monday remarks, Zarif, who led Iran’s negotiating team with the P5+1, said, “These individuals do not seem to be able to understand that the use of force to violate others’ rights is not an option, but a dangerous and injudicious temptation,” Zarif said.

The use of force is “often put forth by those who lack the necessary capacity and capability to manage, push forward and consolidate diplomacy,” the Iranian foreign minister said.
Iran and the P5+1 countries – the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany – succeeded in finalizing the text of an agreement, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in Vienna on July 14 after 18 days of intense negotiations and all-nighters that capped around 23 months of talks between Iran and the six world powers.

Under the JCPOA, limits will be put on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all economic and financial bans, against the Islamic Republic.