Zarif: I will confront those attributing false statements to the Leader

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday implicitly confirmed his confrontation with a conservative member of parliament regarding the 'margins' of the National Security Commission meeting on the Lausanne agreement, stating, 'I will confront those attributing false statements to the Leader.' In an interview with the state news agency IRNA, Zarif emphasized that he heard 'very incorrect statements' from some parliamentarians during the National Security Commission meeting. Zarif's remarks referred to the session on Sunday, April 5, concerning the Lausanne agreement, which reportedly led to a 'verbal clash' between him and Jawad Karimi Qodusi, a conservative representative from Mashhad. Reports indicate that this clash occurred after Qodusi's comments about the Supreme Leader's warning to Iran's nuclear negotiating team and Zarif's dismissal of these statements as 'lies.' Zarif stated, 'I told the representatives that the Supreme Leader has emphasized in his remarks that those who say they oppose the negotiations are lying.' He added, 'I heard very incorrect statements from some of my fellow representatives in parliament and had good tolerance towards them, but that discussion in the National Security Commission was due to an unjust attribution to the Supreme Leader, to the extent that he himself publicly denied it... I found it necessary to address it seriously.' Zarif also emphasized that Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, is aware of 'all the details' of the nuclear negotiations with the P5+1 group. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, reiterated his support for the Iranian negotiating team after the Lausanne nuclear agreement, stating, 'I fully support an agreement that secures the dignity of the Iranian nation, and if someone says that the Leader opposes reaching an agreement, they are speaking falsely.' On the first day of Farvardin, he also reacted to U.S. President Barack Obama's Nowruz message, saying that 'no one' in Iran opposes nuclear negotiations, but rather opposes 'bullying.' Obama, in part of his Nowruz message, stated that there are individuals in both countries and beyond who oppose a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear issue. Regarding the drafting of the final agreement, Zarif described it as 'difficult but achievable,' adding, 'If the Westerners accept that pressure and agreement cannot coexist, I believe reaching an agreement is not difficult.' He noted that due to differing viewpoints within the six countries, drafting the final agreement is very challenging, but he believes it is achievable with political will. German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday, April 25, called on the countries involved in the nuclear talks with Iran to pursue any actions planned in case of sanctions relief 'in a unified manner and according to a coordinated plan.' The Senate Foreign Relations Committee also voted unanimously on Tuesday, April 25, on a proposal that, if finally approved by Congress and signed by the U.S. President, would give Congress the authority to comment on the final agreement with Iran. Meanwhile, Josh Earnest, White House spokesman, announced on Tuesday that the President is likely to sign a revised version of the proposal from Republican and Democratic senators. Iran and the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany reached a preliminary framework agreement in early Farvardin, and now they aim to finalize the comprehensive agreement on Tehran's nuclear program by the end of June.