Alwaght- Iranian Foreign Minister rebuked the US double standards towards Iran and said Donald Trump brands Iran as a dictatorship while Washington’s allies in the West Asian region "haven't seen a ballot box in their countries," emphasizing that the Islamic Republic derives its legitimacy and mandate from the people.
Foreign Minister Mohamad Javad Zarf’s came in response to Trump last week’s remarks that accused Tehran of being a dictatorship and the main sponsor of terrorism in the region, and once again declared the nuclear deal with Iran an “embarrassment to the US” and threatened to quit the agreement if the IAEA is not granted full access to all Iranian military sites.
“Maybe President Trump likes to think of Iran as a dictatorship, but it is interesting that all of his allies [in the region] haven’t even seen a ballot box in their countries… Be it as it may,” Mohammad Javad Zarif said in an interview with the Asia Society, a nonprofit based in New York, answering a question about political processes in Iran and where the country was headed.
“What is important is that we derive our legitimacy and our power from our people, unlike our friends in the region,” Zarif told television host Charlie Rose referring to sates like Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
“We do not derive our legitimacy from the ‘beautiful military equipment’ we get from the United States,” the top Iranian diplomat emphasized.
After 1979 Islamic Revolution and ouster of west-backed dictator, the Iranian nation has held presidential elections as well as 10 parliamentary elections officially known as Islamic Consultative Assembly or Majlis.
“Our society is not that different, we have the same processes,” Zarif explained. “I don’t have a crystal ball. I know the players, you know the players in the US. But if I ask you who will win the next presidential elections in the US, can you tell me?”
Despite an apparent jab at Saudi Arabia Trump has been peddling US weaponry to on his recent tour – Zarif stressed that Tehran was hoping to work together with Riyadh to bolster security in the West Asia.
Touching on Syria crisis, the Iranian foreign minister said that the US has apparently completely shifted its priority from battling ISIS terrorist group to making sure Damascus does not regain control over its border with Iraq.
“Today it seems to me that priorities have changed and for the government of the US it is more important to prevent the Syrian government from taking over the border with Iraq than it is to defeat ISIS,” he said.
Washington’s plans for Syria remain a mystery, Zarif added, noting that Moscow in the meantime has always been open and clear about its intentions and sincerely wanted to resolve the crisis.
“I talk to President Putin, I know that President Putin wants to find a peaceful solution to Syria because [the conflict] does not serve our interest and it does not serve their interest,” he said. “Whether the US is prepared to do it? Ask somebody who has talked to President [Donald] Trump recently…”
