John Kerry admitted in an interview yesterday that he has had meetings with Mohammad Javad Zarif in the last two years.
Mr. Kerry has said that his goal in these meetings was not to advise Mohammad Javad Zarif on how to confront US policies, but rather to try to understand how to resolve issues with Iran.
John Kerry said in a radio interview with Hugh Hewitt, host of the Salem radio network, on Wednesday that during Donald Trump's presidency, he met with Mohammad Javad Zarif three or four times at various conferences and meetings and tried to understand from his talks what Iran was willing to do to create positive changes in the Middle East, including Yemen and Syria.
Meanwhile, a senior US State Department official said on Thursday that John Kerry should not undermine the Donald Trump administration's strategy towards Iran.
Manisha Singh, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, said: "I have no personal knowledge of these meetings. If such (meetings) occurred, it would be improper."
On May 8, Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw the United States from the nuclear deal between six world powers and Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and said that US sanctions on Iran would return. The first round of sanctions, which covered industrial and financial sectors, was implemented in mid-August, and the second round of sanctions, which targets Iran’s oil exports, is set to take effect on November 4.
The US president says the goal of the new strategy toward Iran is to reach a more comprehensive agreement with Iran, one that includes the future of Iran's nuclear program, ballistic missile program, and regional activities.
However, since the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, Donald Trump has stated several times that he is willing to negotiate with Iran without preconditions to reach a "real deal", an offer that has so far been rejected by Iran.
