Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has rejected the label of the world’s top sponsor of terrorism ascribed to Iran by Saudi Arabia and the U.S. In an interview with CNBC on Saturday at the Doha Forum in Qatar, Zarif accused Riyadh and the U.S. of fomenting “dangerous escalations” in the Middle East. “I think actions […]
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has rejected the label of the world’s top sponsor of terrorism ascribed to Iran by Saudi Arabia and the U.S.
In an interview with CNBC on Saturday at the Doha Forum in Qatar, Zarif accused Riyadh and the U.S. of fomenting “dangerous escalations” in the Middle East.
“I think actions speak much louder than words; what is happening in our region, now people are witnessing the source of instability in region, be it in Yemen, be it elsewhere,” he said.
He added, “It’s the wrong policies that are being followed, not only by Saudi Arabia but by its allies in the West who have given it a blank check to continue to make these very dangerous escalations in the region.”
Elsewhere, Zarif said that the U.S. is actually “the party that’s violated the nuclear agreement.”
He added: “It doesn’t matter whether this admin negotiated it or the previous administration. The U.S. government has negotiated it, they have violated it and it puts them in no position to accuse us of this.”
President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. unilaterally from the 2015 nuclear deal in May and ordered sanctions against Iran. The first round of sanctions went into force on August 6 and the second round, which targets Iran’s oil exports and banks, were snapped back on November 4.
