Collecting Signatures in Parliament for the Release of Mohammad Javad Zarif's Statements

Javad Karimi Qoddusi, a member of the National Security Commission of Parliament, who faced criticism from the Iranian Foreign Ministry for quoting statements attributed to Mohammad Javad Zarif, announced his efforts to "broadcast the tape" of Zarif's remarks in Parliament. According to Mehr News Agency, on Saturday, December 24, Karimi Qoddusi, the representative of Mashhad and a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, stated that during the session, "representatives are collecting signatures to broadcast the video of this session and allow its release to the media." According to Karimi Qoddusi, Zarif said in the session on December 20 that: "Previously, John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, and the U.S. Treasury Secretary told us that if the D'Amato law [extension of sanctions against Iran] goes to the Senate, we have ways to prevent it." The Mashhad representative also stated that the Iranian Foreign Minister continued his remarks in this session by saying: "We commented based on Mr. Kerry's words," "I trusted John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State," and "I admit I made a mistake." According to Karimi Qoddusi, Mohammad Javad Zarif also said: "If I had followed my strategy, I would not have faced problems now," "I accept I made a mistake and I take responsibility for it." However, Bahram Qasemi, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, described the release of these statements attributed to Zarif in the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission as "completely incorrect, distorted, and selective," adding that Karimi Qoddusi's claims were "written and arranged for specific exploitation." Following this reaction, Javad Karimi Qoddusi pursued the matter on Saturday and stated that during the session, "the tape of Zarif's remarks was supposed to be played, but despite multiple trips outside the commission office, the door to the negotiation room remained locked," and he was unable to broadcast the minister's remarks for reporters. Karimi Qoddusi told reporters that he had obtained the approval of the parliamentary leadership for broadcasting this tape that morning, but now even his phone calls are not being answered by the commission's supervisory secretary. According to Mehr, he explained his pursuit by saying that "our discomfort stems from the fact that Mr. Rouhani [the President] explicitly stated on December 7 that all details of the negotiations were coordinated with the leadership. Today we firmly state that tomorrow they should not hold the leadership responsible for the events and damages, and the esteemed position of the leadership should be preserved." Karimi Qoddusi continued: "Once again, in October 2013, after Mr. Zarif returned from the UN trip with Mr. Rouhani, he told us in a National Security Commission meeting that during the meeting with the Supreme Leader, he raised two objections to the trip; first, that my negotiation with John Kerry should not have lasted 45 minutes, and second, that the phone conversation between Mr. Rouhani and Mr. Obama should not have taken place, but despite raising these statements and after several commission members interviewed on this matter, the Foreign Ministry denied these statements." The faction known as the "principlists" in Iran has previously criticized Mohammad Javad Zarif and the nuclear negotiating team regarding the nuclear agreement process. The Iranian nuclear negotiating team has repeatedly stated that all negotiation stages were conducted under the direct supervision of Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. The D'Amato law, mentioned in the statements attributed to Mohammad Javad Zarif, is a law enacted by the U.S. government in 1996 to impose sanctions on Iran. According to this law, companies investing more than forty million dollars in Iran in a year will be banned from trading with the U.S. government. The U.S. House of Representatives recently extended the D'Amato law for another 10 years, which has led to strong objections from the Iranian government.