Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Iran’s vice president Javad Zarif claims he was unaware of the October 7 blitz by Hamas and frames Palestinian resistance as unavoidable defiance that cannot be crushed as long as occupation continues.
While expressing optimism about securing a new nuclear agreement with US President Donald Trump, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Javad Zarif warned that Hama’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel had “destroyed” a chance for negotiations with Washington to renew a historic nuclear treaty.
“October 7 was unknown to us . . . At the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, Zarif used an acronym for the official name of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal to say, “This operation undermined and destroyed the meeting we were supposed to have with the Americans on October 9 on JCPOA renewal”.
“We never tried to cash (in on) our investment in the region”, he stated.
“As you gaze across Gaza right now . . . Netanyahu failed to eradicate Hamas; the organization still exists. “Israel needed to reach a ceasefire agreement”, Zarif stated.
“I wouldn’t suggest anybody start rejoicing over destroying Hamas as well as the Palestinian resistance, or cutting Iran’s arms, because the resistance will stay as long as they’re occupied”.
Zarif expects that Trump will opt for “rationality”.
The nuclear agreement between Tehran and international power was negotiated by Zarif, who is now Iran’s vice president for strategic affairs.
Washington pulled out of the agreement, which placed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions, in 2018, during Trump’s first term in office.
Prior to Washington’s exit, Tehran had compiled with the agreement, but it subsequently started to back out.
Iran has stated time and time again that it is willing to bring the agreement back to life.
Before Trump formally went to the White House earlier this month, Iranian officials met with their British, French, and German colleagues to discuss nuclear issues.
The discussions were characterized as “frank and constructive” by both parties.
Zarif insisted that Tehran had never sought a nuclear bomb, but added, “After withdrawing from the JCPOA, Iran has gained much more nuclear capability . . . based on American breakout calculations,”
Iranian officials met with their British, French, and German counterparts to discuss nuclear matters before to Trump’s official visit to the White House earlier this month.
“Frank and constructive” was how both parties described the conversations”.
“French withdrawing from the JCPOA, Iran has gained much more nuclear capability . . . based on American breakout calculations”, Zarif said, despite Tehran’s insistence that it had never wanted a nuclear weapon.
Uranium that is nearly bomb-grade
Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, told reporters at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday that Iran presently possesses 200kg of uranium that has been refined to up to 60% purity, which is over 90% of weapons grade.
If further enriched, that is theoretically nearly enough material for five nuclear warheads, according to a metric set by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
According to Grossi, Iran’s recent acceleration of enrichment to as much as 60% has increased its output rate at that level by a factor of seven.
