Reactions to the Release of Statements Attributed to Zarif in the National Security Commission of Parliament

The release of statements attributed to Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, during a session on Tuesday, December 29, of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Parliament has sparked various reactions. On Wednesday, January 1, Javad Karimi Qoddousi, a member of this commission, provided printed excerpts of Zarif's statements to some journalists. In an interview with the Mehr News Agency, he stated: "The Foreign Minister admitted in the session that we made a mistake regarding the JCPOA and I accept responsibility for it." Karimi Qoddousi added that the Foreign Minister said in this session, "I confess that I made a mistake and trusted John Kerry's words. If I had followed my own strategy, I would not have faced problems now." However, Bahram Qasemi, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, described the publication of some of Zarif's statements in the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission as "completely incorrect, distorted, and selective". This session was held between Mohammad Javad Zarif and some of his deputies in the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission to discuss the law extending new U.S. sanctions against Iran. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson rejected the quotes attributed to this parliament member, stating that he was not present in the session with the Foreign Minister and the members of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission. Bahram Qasemi added: "His statements {Karimi Qoddousi} regarding the Foreign Minister's words are completely incorrect, distorted, and selective, and have been prepared for specific exploitation." He further stated that the published quotes "distort the realities and statements of the Foreign Minister". Qasemi also deemed Karimi Qoddousi's actions as "unjust and contrary to ethical standards" and emphasized that we all must adhere to these standards. The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Minister noted: "Quoting correct materials from confidential sessions is against the interests and national security of the country; while quoting incorrect statements is considered 100 percent against the ethics and interests of the country and the system." In this context, Alireza Rahimi, another member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, also said that "irresponsible statements regarding Mr. Zarif's remarks are an injustice to the Minister and the Commission and are considered unethical and unprofessional." This parliament member added: "What has been attributed to Dr. Zarif is pure falsehood and was absolutely not mentioned in the Commission." Meanwhile, Akbar Ranjbarzadeh, a member of the Parliament's presiding board, told the Fars News Agency that "reviewing the video of the session with the Foreign Minister" confirms Karimi Qoddousi's quotes. Ranjbarzadeh added: "The video of this session has been reviewed in the presence of Behrouz Namati, spokesperson for the presiding board, Jahanbakhsh Mohbiniya, and Javad Karimi Qoddousi." Karimi Qoddousi also stated in this regard to the Mehr News Agency that after reviewing the video of the session, everything he said was "documented and exactly what Mr. Zarif said, and the full text of Mr. Zarif's remarks is available on the Commission's tape." The new discussion about the JCPOA and Iran's nuclear agreement with the P5+1 group comes at a time when Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Foreign Minister, and the Iranian nuclear negotiating team have repeatedly faced criticism from some conservative parliament members and supporters of the Supreme Leader. These criticisms have been met with responses from both Zarif and Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran.