Bloomberg Writer Criticizes 'Overconfidence' in Zarif

Eli Lake, a Bloomberg reporter, in an article titled 'Show Some Disrespect to Iran,' questions the West's overconfidence in Mohammad Javad Zarif, criticizing John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, for placing too much value on Zarif. Zarif stated in an interview with The New Yorker on Monday that he speaks with Kerry two or three times a week, sometimes even multiple times a day. Lake argues that Zarif does not deserve this level of attention from Kerry. He claims that while Kerry acts 'sincerely' in his aim to resolve issues between Iran and the U.S. and to reintegrate Iran into the global community, Zarif has a completely different agenda: 'Zarif's goal is not to change Iran's behavior but merely to pretend that Iran is no different from a Western country that has both hardliners and moderates and considers its national and diplomatic interests.' Lake continues by stating that if Zarif were the foreign minister of Belgium, he likely would not need to work so hard to gain trust, but currently, he is the top diplomat of a country that is the 'largest supporter of terrorism,' which detains and imprisons Iranian-Americans to gain leverage over the U.S. According to Lake, 'Zarif must employ the old art of lying to make these actions appear non-political.' Iran has consistently denied allegations of supporting terrorism. The Bloomberg reporter notes that in his recent interview, Zarif complained about the U.S. not fulfilling its promises regarding the complete lifting of sanctions. However, 'Zarif knows well that the agreement only lifted sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program, while sanctions related to Iran's support for terrorism and human rights violations remain in place.' Iranian judicial officials deny allegations of human rights violations in Iran. Meanwhile, the United Nations General Assembly expressed concern in its recent resolution last fall about the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran. Lake further points out what he calls Zarif's 'recklessness' in response to the Holocaust cartoon contest. Zarif stated in response to The New Yorker that this contest was not organized by the Iranian government but by a non-profit organization. He went further, asking the New Yorker reporter if the existence of Ku Klux Klan groups in the U.S. implies that the U.S. government supports them. Zarif questioned whether the U.S. government is responsible for the racist behavior of this group. He then stated, 'Do not consider Iran a complicit country. The Iranian government has not held any cartoon festival on this matter and will not do so. Whenever you hold your own organizations accountable for this behavior (spreading hatred), then you can ask others to do the same.' However, the Bloomberg reporter disagrees, stating that the website for this cartoon contest indicates it is supported by 'the Tehran Municipality,' and foreign participants must obtain entry visas to Iran. In Iran, holding exhibitions requires permission from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. One of the conditions for issuing a permit is 'not to insult beliefs, views, rituals, and subcultures in visual, audio, painting, cartoon, graphic, etc., forms.' Additionally, Iranian cartoonist Nikahang Kowsar told the Bloomberg writer that the 'House of Cartoon' also requires permission from the 'Ministry of Interior' to hold its exhibition. The House of Cartoon was established by the Tehran Municipality in 1996 and is part of the cultural and artistic organization of the Tehran Municipality. Lake also points out that Zarif's reference to racist organizations (like the Ku Klux Klan) in the U.S. is not an accurate comparison, as 'freedom of expression' does not exist in Iran. 'In Iran, cartoonists who criticize the government are arrested.' He cites Atena Farghadani, who was sentenced to twelve years in prison for drawing a cartoon of Iranian officials and shaking hands with a male lawyer. Although this sentence has reportedly been reduced to 18 months, since Farghadani's imprisonment, groups, cultural figures, and human rights activists have repeatedly called for her release. Lake states that if Atena Farghadani were mocking the genocide of European Jews by the Nazis, she would be free today. The biennial Holocaust cartoon contest and conferences expressing doubt about the genocide of millions of Jews, Roma, the murder of homosexuals, and political opponents during the Nazi regime began during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency in Iran. A year after Ahmadinejad came to power, then-Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki inaugurated a conference related to the Holocaust. These conferences and exhibitions have faced criticism from officials, figures, and countries around the world each time. Jonathan Greenblatt, director of the Anti-Defamation League, tells Lake, 'The idea that they (Iranian officials) have no control over this behavior (holding the cartoon contest) is false. In this country, people go to prison for 'liking' something on Facebook. The security organization monitors all blogs and tweets.' At the end of this article, Eli Lake suggests that perhaps it is time for John Kerry to mention these facts during one of his phone calls with Mohammad Javad Zarif. 'Even if he does, it seems that Zarif would not get the message. Perhaps it is time to pursue other means of engagement with Iran and show Zarif the same disregard that he shows to his Western audiences.'