Iran Denies Zarif and Kerry's Talks on Syria

In response to news from the past two days, Marzieh Afkham, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, announced on Saturday that the negotiation between the foreign ministers of Iran and the United States regarding Syria is "not confirmed." Ms. Afkham's brief explanation on this matter was stated on Saturday, October 3, in an interview with the Iranian Students' News Agency, ISNA. The spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry also emphasized: "These reports, some of which cite Iranian sources, are unverified and not true." Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, and John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, met and discussed for the second time last week on the sidelines of the 70th United Nations General Assembly in New York. Although the main topic of this meeting was announced to be discussions about the nuclear agreement, Reuters reported, citing an "Iranian official," that the foreign ministers of Iran and the U.S. also discussed the Syrian crisis and Russian airstrikes against positions of armed groups opposing Bashar al-Assad. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, had previously stated that he only allowed the Iranian government to negotiate with the U.S. regarding the nuclear issue. However, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, has said that there is a possibility of discussions about the contentious issues between the two sides in the future, provided that sanctions against Iran are lifted. Previously, Wendy Sherman, former Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs, reported on the U.S. readiness to begin discussions with Iran regarding the conditions in Syria and the possibility of this topic being raised in the meeting between Mr. Kerry and Mr. Zarif in New York. However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry's denial of the talks between the Iranian and U.S. foreign ministers about Syria comes at a time when Mohammad Javad Zarif is still facing severe criticism from several senior government officials and hardliners in Iran due to his handshake with Barack Obama, the President of the United States, in New York. While this handshake has been described as "accidental," one of the latest criticisms from hardliners in the Islamic Republic has deemed this justification as "a worse excuse than the sin." Hossein Naqavi Hosseini told the Mehr News Agency that "the movements of diplomatic delegations at the United Nations, especially at the level of the U.S. President or the Iranian Foreign Minister, are completely organized and planned." He added: "Are Obama or Mr. Zarif ordinary citizens who can put their hands in their pockets and come to the hall whenever they want? All movements are organized, and it has been predetermined what time and from where they should come and go."