Twitter Clash Between Senator Tom Cotton and Mohammad Javad Zarif

The media dispute between Mohammad Javad Zarif and Senator Tom Cotton, one of the signatories of the letter to Ayatollah Khamenei regarding Iran's nuclear program, has turned into a heated discussion on social media over the past 24 hours, with both Iranian and American politicians attacking each other on Twitter and Facebook. The Iranian Foreign Minister, who is in New York, faced four tweets from Senator Tom Cotton calling him to a 'debate on the U.S. Constitution.' Mr. Zarif responded with just one message stating that 'diplomacy is a serious job' and congratulated Mr. Cotton on the birth of his child. The dispute began when Mr. Zarif attended a Q&A session at New York University on the evening of April 29, and in response to a question about lifting sanctions against Iran after a final agreement with the six world powers, he said: 'When we reach an agreement and sign it with the governments and get the approval from the Security Council, it is law, and no one, not even Senator Cotton, can stop it.' The Iranian Foreign Minister added that he studied in the U.S. and is familiar with the American legal, political, and governmental system, knowing that once the government commits, it cannot backtrack and must cooperate. According to the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Zarif continued: 'A few days after reaching the final agreement, a resolution under Chapter 41 of the UN Charter will be reviewed in the Security Council, which, if approved, will be binding for all member states, whether Senator Cotton likes it or not.' Senator Tom Cotton, the young representative from Arkansas, is the same person who drafted the letter to Iranian leaders that was signed by 47 Republican senators. They warned Iranian leaders to be careful that an agreement with the current U.S. president is not permanent without congressional approval, and the next president can easily discard it. At that time, Senator Cotton even sent a tweet to Mohammad Javad Zarif, providing a copy of the Persian translation of that letter and wrote: 'Here it is for you in Persian.' Mr. Zarif also sent his statement in response to this letter, which was published on the official website of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, writing: 'Here is my response, in English.' Hours after the end of the Iranian Foreign Minister's Q&A session, hosted by David Ignatius of the Washington Post, Senator Cotton sent a message to Mr. Zarif on his Twitter account, saying: 'I heard you said there is nothing I can do. Let's have a debate on the U.S. Constitution together.' Cotton accused Zarif of cowardice in his final message, stating that this is a four-part message that will continue. In his second message to Mr. Zarif, Senator Cotton wrote: 'Here is a suggestion: let's meet in Washington D.C. at a time that is convenient for you and debate Iran's history of terrorism, tyranny, and treachery.' In the third message sent a minute later, Senator Cotton wrote: 'Of course, I understand if you reject this offer. After all, you were hiding in America during your 20s while ordinary people and children were heading to death during the Iran-Iraq war.' In the fourth and final part of Senator Cotton's Twitter message to the Iranian Foreign Minister, it stated: 'There is no honor for someone who hid in America while his country was fighting for survival in a war. But today, cowardly behavior was displayed.' Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Foreign Minister, responded to Senator Cotton on Twitter on April 30, stating: 'What we need is serious diplomacy, not personal destructive attacks. Congratulations on the birth of your child. I hope you and your family are at peace with him.' Senator Cotton recently had a son named 'Gabriel' - the same as Jibril. Despite the filtering of Facebook and Twitter in Iran, Mr. Zarif is very active on both platforms, writing reports of his travels on Facebook and responding to messages on Twitter. Previously, Mr. Zarif, following a New Year greeting from Nancy Pelosi's daughter, the Democratic minority leader in the House of Representatives, faced a question that said: 'This message would be much sweeter if it ends Iran's denial of the Holocaust.' The Iranian Foreign Minister responded to Ms. Pelosi, saying: 'Iran has never denied it. The man who denied it is gone. Happy New Year to you.'