Larijani: The Foreign Minister's Remarks Refer to a Part of the JCPOA, Not Its Entirety

The Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly confirmed on Sunday that the controversial quote from the Foreign Minister's remarks in the National Security Commission relates to a part of the nuclear agreement and not its entirety. Meanwhile, the Fars news agency, referencing the audio file of these remarks heard in the National Security Commission, has published the text of these remarks, which was described as 'confidential.' According to ISNA's report, during the public session of the Islamic Consultative Assembly on Sunday, January 5, Hossein Ali Haji Deligani, a critic of the government and an opponent of the JCPOA, suggested that the tape of the Foreign Minister's remarks be played in the Assembly so that representatives could judge the matter themselves. In response, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Assembly, described the proposal as unrelated to the issue under discussion while stating, 'Mr. Zarif's remarks pertain to a specific issue, not the entirety of the JCPOA.' The Speaker did not provide further explanation on this matter. Jawad Karimi Qodusi, a hardline representative from Mashhad, had claimed a few days earlier that Mohammad Javad Zarif stated in the December 29 meeting of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission that 'previously, John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State and Treasury, told us that if the D'Amato law [extending sanctions on Iran] goes to the Senate, we have ways to prevent it.' He quoted the Foreign Minister as 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.' However, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry described the publication of these remarks attributed to Mohammad Javad Zarif as 'completely incorrect, distorted, and selective' and stated that 'quoting correct statements from confidential meetings is also against the national interests and security of the country.' Some members of the National Security Commission also stated that Mr. Karimi Qodusi was not present at the meeting and heard the Foreign Minister's remarks from others. Nevertheless, Mr. Karimi Qodusi announced that disclosing the Foreign Minister's remarks is part of his representative duties and subsequently reported 'gathering signatures in the Assembly' for the publication of Mohammad Javad Zarif's remarks and their media coverage. On Sunday, however, Fars news agency reported that some representatives of the Assembly, having attended the National Security Commission, listened to the Foreign Minister's remarks and confirmed the accuracy of the written text prepared from these remarks with their signatures. This news agency, close to security institutions, also published a text that is claimed to have been confirmed by some representatives. In part of this text, it is quoted that Mr. Zarif stated that in September, he wrote to Federica Mogherini and then to the United Nations that the 'extension' of laws that expire 'violates the JCPOA.' In this text, Mr. Zarif is quoted as saying that this issue is 'not in the text of the JCPOA' and 'is our interpretation, based on the agreement we made with Mr. Kerry.' In this quote from the Foreign Minister, it is stated, 'I am currently saying this, I am not saying it outside. But I tell you, I made a mistake based on an agreement we made; we set aside our strategy, and based on that agreement, we announced it, which became the position of the Islamic Republic. I accept this, I made a mistake to inform you, but we did this.' The Iranian Foreign Ministry and other government officials have not yet reacted to the publication of these remarks. The so-called 'principlist' faction, especially its hardline section known as the Stability Front, has repeatedly criticized Mohammad Javad Zarif and the nuclear negotiating team regarding the nuclear agreement process. Last year, they examined the nuclear agreement in a special commission in the Assembly and made every effort to secure a negative vote from the Assembly on this agreement, but in the final voting session on this matter, the Speaker of the Assembly prevented a negative vote based on a quote from a member of the Supreme Leader's office. The Iranian nuclear negotiating team has repeatedly stated that all stages of negotiation were conducted under the direct supervision of Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, although Ayatollah Khamenei, who ultimately expressed his conditional approval of this agreement, has criticized the nuclear agreement multiple times in the past year.