Zarif lashes out at those making military threats against Iran despite nuclear deal
Iranian FM's comments come a day after US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter says deal does not take military option off the table.
By JPOST.COM STAFFUpdated: JULY 20, 2015 16:56Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif(photo credit: ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday lashed out at those making military threats against his country despite last week's signing of a diplomatic accord to address concerns over Tehran's nuclear program.In comments made to Iran's official IRNA news agency, Zarif criticized "people discussing the use of illegal force to achieve their aims," despite the signing of the nuclear deal which he called, "a victory for diplomacy over violence and war."Zarif's comments came a day after US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter was quoted by AFP as saying Sunday ahead of a trip to Israel that the nuclear deal signed with Iran was good because "it does nothing to prevent the military option."US Defence Secretary Carter meets Israeli counterpart Ya"alonCarter, who met Monday with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon in Tel Aviv, said ahead of setting out for the Jewish State that the US is "continually improving" the military option in the event that Iran should violate the terms of the nuclear deal.The US secretary of defense is set to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has been an outspoken critic of the Iran deal, saying that Israel was not obligated to conform to the agreement and warning that Israel would do everything possible to defend itself.Khamenei: Deal or no deal, Iran won"t stop opposing US, supporting people of PalestineZarif on Monday did not mention the US or Israel specifically in comments to IRNA on Monday, but he seemed to be directing his comments towards Washington and Jerusalem."It seems that these people cannot understand that the use of force to violate the rights of others is not an option, but a dangerous and foolish temptation that is usually raised by those who lack the capacity for diplomacy," IRNA quoted him as saying.