Zarif: Group B seeks regime change; Bolton: Iranians deserve better government
On Sunday, May 28, Fox News broadcast the full interview with Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as the reaction of John Bolton, the White House National Security Advisor.
Mohammad Javad Zarif said in an interview with Fox News that the "B Group" including Netanyahu, Bolton, Bin Salman, and Bin Zayed are trying to inflame tensions between Iran and the United States and "lead Donald Trump into war with Iran against his will."
John Bolton called this part of Mohammad Javad Zarif's speech "absolutely hilarious" and said: "This interview was a carefully prepared and written piece of propaganda by the Iranians."
The White House National Security Advisor accused the Islamic Republic's officials of "trying to mislead various parts of the US government," saying: Donald Trump's policy towards Iran "was quite clear even before I joined the administration and was based on applying maximum pressure."
Mr. Bolton also said that the policy of maximum pressure is working and "it's because they're worried."
In his interview with Fox News, Mohammad Javad Zarif referred to the time when John Bolton spoke at conferences of the People's Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization, took money from them, and "said that the 40th anniversary of the revolution would be in Tehran," saying: "He repeated these words again as National Security Advisor."
In response to this part of Zarif's remarks, John Bolton, while referring to the Trump administration's maximum pressure policy, said: "The Iranian regime continues to oppress its people, continues to be the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, continues to pursue a ballistic missile program whose sole purpose is to carry nuclear warheads. There is no doubt that this regime is a threat to the region and the world."
In another part of his interview with Fox News, the Iranian Foreign Minister said that "regime change in Iran" is the least that "Team B" is trying to do, and "everyone has worked to get America involved in the conflict, although I don't think President Trump is in favor of another war [in the region]."
Mr. Zarif, however, accused Donald Trump of "seeking to bring Iran to its knees" by pursuing a policy of maximum pressure, but according to him, "this policy is doomed to failure and these poor people [Group B] know this very well."
Fox News host Chris Wallace, referring to this part of Zarif's speech, asked John Bolton if he didn't honestly believe that "changing the behavior" of the Iranian government was not possible and that there was no other option but "regime change"?
John Bolton responded: "There is absolutely no doubt that the Iranian people deserve better government. This is not just a religious dictatorship, it is also a military dictatorship."
The White House national security adviser also said: "We'll see where the economic pressures lead."
On the other hand, Mohammad Javad Zarif accused American officials of intending to "pull people against the government by applying pressure on the Iranian people," saying, "Their analysis and hope are wrong and delusional," because, according to him, "the consequence of this pressure will be that it will make the Iranian people more determined to resist the pressure."
John Bolton responded to this section by saying that the "slight difference of opinion" that Zarif refers to "exists only in his view."
The White House national security adviser said that during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Washington last year, "President Trump told him that he intended to withdraw from the JCPOA and wanted to negotiate all issues at once, including Iran's nuclear program, ballistic missile program, support for terrorism, and other malign behavior."
John Bolton later clarified: "When they were ready to talk, the President [Trump] would be ready."
The Donald Trump administration withdrew from the JCPOA in May of last year and reimposed all sanctions against Iran in August and November of last year.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is currently in New York, has repeatedly mentioned the issue of a prisoner exchange between the two countries and has reported limited correspondence with the Trump administration.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, emphasizing that the Trump administration "is not seeking regime change in Iran," has said that the Islamic Republic must meet 12 conditions in order to become a "normal country with which to cooperate."
Source: Radio Farda
