Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said he received information about more than 200 Israeli airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria from John Kerry, who are the time was former US President Barak Obama's secretary of state during nuclear talks with the Islamic republic.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Zarif's comments were made in an interview in March to the London-based Iranian TV station Iran International and published by the New York Times on Sunday.

The recording in question captured Zarif criticizing Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its dominant role in determining Iranian foreign policy.

"Kerry has to tell me that Israel has attacked you [Iran] 200 times in Syria?" asked Zarif, who complained in the recording that the IRGC had long kept him in the dark on critical matters. "You did not know?" the interviewer asked twice, to which Zarif replied, "No, no."

In the recording, Zarif did not specify when Kerry was supposed to have made the comment.

Kerry currently serves as US President Joe Biden's Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.

The claim sparked a furor on Monday among Republicans, who accused Kerry of betraying Israeli secrets.

Kerry denied the assertion and said on Twitter that reports of alleged Israeli airstrikes in Syria against Iranian targets have long existed in the public domain.

"I can tell you that this story and these allegations are unequivocally false. This never happened – either when I was Secretary of State or since," Mr. Kerry wrote.

I can tell you that this story and these allegations are unequivocally false. This never happened - either when I was Secretary of State or since. https://t.co/BTOdFE1khW

— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) April 26, 2021

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said that, if real, the remarks would amount to "catastrophic and disqualifying recklessness."

Senator Dan Sullivan (R- Alaska) told US news site Politico: "People are talking about treason – and I don't throw that word around a lot. John Kerry does all kinds of things that I can't stand. But this is the one that broke the camel's back."

He later called on Kerry to resign, saying he was "astonished" that the former secretary of state "would reveal the secrets of one of our most important and enduring allies in the region to an avowed enemy, the largest state sponsor of terrorism."

Nikki Haley, who served as US ambassador to the United Nations under former President Donald Trump, wrote on Twitter that the claim was "disgusting" and accused Kerry of "tipping off Iran."

This is disgusting on many levels. Biden and Kerry have to answer for why Kerry would be tipping off Iran, the number one sponsor of terror, while stabbing one of our greatest partners, Israel, in the back. https://t.co/ZLWnQRZkrG

— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) April 26, 2021

Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher told Politico: "It's unfathomable that any US diplomat, past or present, would leak intelligence to the world's leading sponsors of terrorism at the expense of one of our staunchest allies."

Taking a more moderate approach, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) urged caution about Zarif's reliability.

"I don't know if we should trust that tape or not. If it's true, it's very damaging," Graham said. "I like John Kerry, but that would not be helpful and it would be very problematic if it were true. But let's wait and see how authentic this is."

The timing of the leaked interview is inconvenient for the Tehran regime, given the recent progress between western nations and Iran toward a renewal of the 2015 nuclear deal. A few days ago the sides even announced they had started to exchange drafts, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani confirmed that negotiations were moving forward.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

It's important to note that Zarif's alleged recording and his comments have not been confirmed by any external source.

Meanwhile, IRGC chief Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami on Monday hinted that Iran was behind the recent rocket fire from the Gaza Strip at Israel in recent days.

Speaking to Beirut-based news outlet Al-Mayadeen, which is affiliated to Hezbollah, he warned that the rocket attacks would happen again and could be "expanded," and that the "evil deeds" committed by Israel in the region in recent days could backfire and expose the country to "real dangers."

The post Republicans outraged over report that Kerry 'tipped off' Iran on Israeli strikes in Syria appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

In an interview to air Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," Zarif also accused the US of initiating a cyberwar with his country and warned that "any war the United States starts it won't be able to finish."

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

The interview took place in New York, which Zarif visited last week to attend meetings at the United Nations. NBC provided a partial transcript on Saturday.

When "Meet the Press" moderator Chuck Todd noted that US intelligence included Iran among the countries attempting to interfere with the US election, Zarif responded, "We don't have a preference in your election to intervene in that election."

"We don't interfere in the internal affairs of another country," Zarif said later. "But there is a cyberwar going on."

The Iranian official cited Stuxnet, a computer virus that is widely believed to be a joint creation of the US and Israel and is blamed for disrupting thousands of Iranian centrifuges in an effort to damage its nuclear program.

"The United States started that cyberwar, by attacking our nuclear facilities in a very dangerous, irresponsible way that could've killed millions of people. You remember Stuxnet?" Zarif said.

He added: "So there is a cyberwar ... and Iran is engaged in that cyberwar. But any war that the United States starts, it won't be able to finish."

The post Iran denies plans to interfere with US election appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The comments by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif represented the starkest warning yet by Iran in a long summer of mysterious attacks and incidents following the collapse of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, more than a year after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the accord.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Zarif's comments also appeared to be a response to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who a day earlier while traveling to Saudi Arabia referred to Saturday's attack as an "act of war."

Asked by CNN what would be the consequence of an American or Saudi strike, Zarif said: "All-out war."

It would cause "a lot of casualties," he stressed.

"I am making a very serious statement that we don't want to engage in a military confrontation," Zarif said. "But we won't blink to defend our territory."

He added that any sanctions placed by the US on Iran after pulling out of the nuclear deal would need to be lifted before any negotiations could be considered.

"They've done whatever they could and they haven't been able to bring us to our knees," Zarif said.

Pompeo, who had just arrived in the United Arab Emirates, did not immediately respond. He met earlier in the day with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jiddah about the attack on a crucial oil processing facility and oil field, which cut the kingdom's oil production in half. Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have claimed the attack, but the US alleges that Iran carried out the assault.

"The US stands with #SaudiArabia and supports its right to defend itself," Pompeo tweeted. "The Iranian regime's threatening behavior will not be tolerated."

The post Iran diplomat warns of 'all-out war' if hit for Saudi attack appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

European leaders have struggled to tamp down the brewing confrontation between Iran and the United States since President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of Iran's internationally-brokered 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on the Iranian economy.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is under US sanctions, flew to the southwest French town of Biarritz where the Group of Seven leaders are meeting. He held more than three hours of talks, including with French President Emmanuel Macron, before heading back to Tehran.

"Road ahead is difficult. But worth trying," Zarif tweeted, adding that in addition to meeting French leaders he had given a joint briefing to officials from Germany and Britain.

French officials sought to bill the meeting as important to "refine Iranian propositions" to help defuse the crisis after G-7 leaders had discussed Iran over dinner on Saturday.

"The discussions that were held between the president and Zarif were positive and will continue," a French official said after the meeting, declining to take detailed questions.

The 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers aimed to curb Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of many international sanctions on Tehran.

Since pulling Washington out of the deal last year, Trump has pushed a maximum pressure policy to try to force Iran into a new negotiation that would include its ballistic missile program and regional activities.

While Trump's European allies also want new talks with Iran, they believe the nuclear deal must be upheld. Macron, who has taken the lead in Europe in trying to salvage the agreement and avert a deeper crisis in the Middle East, had already met Zarif in Paris on Friday.

They discussed proposals to de-escalate tensions between Washington and Tehran, including easing some US sanctions or providing Iran with an economic compensation mechanism to make up for oil revenues lost under US sanctions.

But despite Macron spending two hours with Trump over lunch on Saturday and all seven leaders discussing Iran at length in the evening, it did not appear that the US leader had budged on easing oil sanctions as Macron had sought from Trump.

A European diplomat familiar with the discussions said the leaders had failed at the dinner to persuade Trump.

Earlier on Sunday Trump appeared to brush aside French efforts to mediate with Iran, saying that while he was happy for Macron to reach out to Tehran to defuse tensions, the United States would carry on with its own initiatives.

Trump and Macron are scheduled to hold a joint news conference at 3:30 p.m. on Monday at the conclusion of the summit, the White House said.

Macron's invitation to Zarif had caught Trump by surprise, a White House official said, and no US officials met with Zarif during the visit.

Other delegations also said they had been informed at the last minute. The Elysee said delegations had been informed, but everything had happened very quickly.

US authorities earlier this month placed Zarif under US sanctions.

In response to the tougher US sanctions and what it says is the failure of European powers party to the deal – France, Britain and Germany – to compensate it for lost revenues, Tehran has responded with a series of moves, including retreating from some of its commitments to limit its nuclear activity.

Highlighting just how difficult it will be to ease tensions, two Iranian officials and one diplomat told Reuters on Sunday that Iran wants to export a minimum of 700,000 barrels per day of its oil and ideally up to 1.5 million barrels per day if the West wants to negotiate with Tehran to save the nuclear deal.

One of the Iranian officials also said Iran's ballistic missile program was not open for negotiation.

"We'll do our own outreach, but, you know, I can't stop people from talking. If they want to talk, they can talk," Trump said earlier when asked about Macron's mediation efforts.

The United States has made no indication it will ease any curbs and it is unclear what kind of compensation mechanism Macron wants to offer Iran, given at this stage a proposed trade channel for humanitarian and food exchanges with Iran is still not operational.

Macron has also said that in return for any concessions he would expect Iran to comply fully with the nuclear deal and for Iran to engage in new negotiations.

"It's unprecedented and, given the context, it's pretty audacious," said a French diplomatic source.

The post Iran's Zarif leaves G-7 talks, unclear if progress made to ease tensions appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

"Zarif came to Paris on Friday with Iranian propositions which obviously must be refined," the French official said.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

"Yesterday there was a substantial discussion between G7 leaders and it is important to now update Zarif in order to keep closing the gap...on the conditions with which we could de-escalate the tensions and create breathing space for negotiations."

Flight tracking website flightradar24.com showed an Iranian government jet landed at Biarritz's airport, which has been closed for the duration of the summit from Saturday to Monday.

Iranian state television cited the foreign ministry as saying Zarif would not hold talks with US President Donald Trump's summit delegation.

Asked to comment on reports that Zarif had landed in Biarritz, Trump said: "No comment."

The office of French President Emmanuel Macron, who is hosting the G-7 summit, declined to comment as did the French foreign ministry.

Earlier, Trump appeared to brush aside French efforts to mediate with Iran on Sunday, saying that while he was happy for Macron to reach out to Tehran to defuse tensions, he would carry on with his own initiatives.

European leaders have struggled to tamp down the brewing confrontation between Iran and the United States since Trump pulled his country out of Iran's internationally-brokered 2015 nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions on the Iranian economy.

Macron, who has pushed mediation efforts in recent weeks to avoid a further deterioration in the region, had told LCI television that the G-7 had agreed on joint action on Iran.

The French presidency said G-7 leaders had even agreed that Macron should hold talks and pass on messages to Iran after they discussed the issue over dinner at a summit in southwestern France on Saturday evening.

However, Trump, who has pushed a maximum pressure policy on Iran, pushed back.

Asked if he had signed off on a statement that Macron intends to give on behalf of the G-7 on Iran, Trump said:

"I haven't discussed this. No I haven't," he told reporters, adding that Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were free to talk to Iran.

"We'll do our own outreach, but, you know, I can't stop people from talking. If they want to talk, they can talk."

Macron, who has taken the lead to defuse tensions fearing that a collapse of the nuclear deal could set ablaze the Middle East, met Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday. The aim was to discuss proposals that could ease the crisis, including the idea of reducing some US sanctions or providing Iran with an economic compensation mechanism.

Macron appeared to backtrack on his own team's comments later, saying there was no formal mandate from the G-7 leaders to pass a message to Iran.

Highlighting just how difficult agreeing on concrete measures between allies is, Macron said the leaders' views had converged on not wanting Iran to acquire a nuclear bomb and ensuring peace and security in the Middle East.

He was supposed to discuss those ideas with Trump on the sidelines of the G-7, which also comprises Britain, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and the EU.

"Everyone wants to avoid a conflict, Donald Trump was extremely clear on that point," Macron told LCI.

In response to the tougher US sanctions and what it says is the inability of European powers party to the deal – France, Britain and Germany – to compensate it for its lost oil revenue, Tehran has responded with a series of moves, including retreating from some of its commitments to limit its nuclear activity made under the deal.

The United States has made no indication it will ease any sanctions and it is unclear what kind of compensation mechanism Macron wants to offer Iran given at this stage a proposed trade channel for humanitarian and food exchanges with Iran is still not operational.

Macron has also said that in return for any concessions he would expect Iran to comply fully with the nuclear deal and for Iran to engage in new negotiations that would include its ballistic missile program and regional activities.

The post Iranian FM Zarif talking to French counterpart at G-7 summit appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Zarif, a critical figure in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, dismissed the action and said it would not affect him.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

US President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the deal last year and ramped up sanctions to put pressure on Iran's economy. The move dismantled part of President Barack Obama's legacy and upset US allies who were party to the agreement, which was designed to restrict Tehran's pathway to a nuclear bomb in exchange for sanctions relief.

Strains between Washington and Tehran have risen more in recent months after attacks on tankers in the Persian Gulf, which the United States blames on Iran and Iran's downing of a US drone that prompted preparations for a US retaliatory airstrike that Trump called off at the last minute.

"Javad Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran's Supreme Leader, and is the regime's primary spokesperson around the world. The United States is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime that its recent behavior is completely unacceptable," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

The sanctions against Zarif would block any property or interests he has in the United States, but the Iranian foreign minister said he had none.

"The US reason for designating me is that I am Iran's 'primary spokesperson around the world'," Zarif said on Twitter. "Is the truth really that painful? It has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran. Thank you for considering me such a huge threat to your agenda."

Zarif lived in the United States, from the age of 17 as a student of international relations in San Francisco and Denver, and subsequently as a diplomat at the United Nations in New York, where he was Iranian ambassador from 2002 to 2007.

The Trump administration said it would make decisions on whether to grant Zarif travel visas, including for trips to the United Nations, on a case by case basis, holding open the possibility that he might attend the annual UN General Assembly in September.

If Zarif received such a visa, that would allow direct or indirect US contacts with him during that gathering, which brings most of the world's leaders to New York and has been the venue for previous US-Iranian contacts.

A senior US official reiterated that Trump was open to talks with Iran, but said the administration would want to deal with a key decision-maker, which it did not consider Zarif to be.

Zarif, who has said a so-called B-team including Trump's national security adviser John Bolton, an ardent Iran hawk, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could goad Trump into a conflict with Tehran, said in a later tweet: "We know that calling for dialog & peace is an existential threat to #B_Team."

Senator Chris Murphy, a Democratic member of the Foreign Relations Committee, questioned the administration's move.

"If our position is really that we want to negotiate with Iran than maybe we shouldn't sanction their chief negotiator," Murphy posted on Twitter.

Wendy Sherman, who was the lead US negotiator for the Iran nuclear deal under Obama, echoed that view and said placing sanctions on Zarif "risks dangerous escalation."

She linked the action to what Bolton said was a US decision to renew sanctions waivers for Iranian nuclear programs that allow Russia, China, and European countries to continue their civilian nuclear cooperation with Tehran.

"One assumes sanctioning Zarif is the price for those waivers. The internal administration battle of war or diplomacy apparently wages on," said Sherman, who is director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School.

On June 24, Trump targeted Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top Iranian officials with sanctions.

Mnuchin said then that Zarif would be blacklisted that week, but the designation did not happen quickly. Reuters reported in mid-July that the administration had decided to hold off on sanctions against him for the time being.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday the Trump administration still sought a diplomatic solution but said Iran's foreign ministry was advancing the Iranian supreme leader's "destabilizing" policies.

"The only path forward is a comprehensive deal that addresses the full range of its threats. Until then, our campaign of diplomatic isolation and maximum economic pressure will continue," Pompeo said.

Mnuchin said Zarif used social media to spread Iranian "propaganda and disinformation" while the government did not allow its citizens to use such mediums themselves.

The post US puts sanctions on Iran's FM Zarif, who says they won't affect him appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

President Donald Trump has tried to open talks with the Iranians in an attempt to amend the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Trump has insisted that any new agreement would have to address Iran's ballistic missile program, but Tehran has rebuffed his efforts, saying it would not negotiate unless he lifted the sanctions he reimposed when he withdrew from the nuclear deal.

In his statement on Monday, Zarif offered an initially high price for negotiations on his country's ballistic missile program – the halt of American arms sales to both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two key US allies in the Persian Gulf.

Zarif brought up the ballistic missile offer during an interview with NBC News that aired Monday night as he's in New York for meetings at the United Nations.

Zarif's comments marked the first time an Iranian official has mentioned even the possibility of talks on the Iranian missiles.

But the fact that he mentioned it at all potentially represents a change in policy. The country's ballistic missile program remains under control of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Since its 1979 Islamic Revolution and the takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran, Iran has faced a variety of economic sanctions. That has cut into Iran's ability to buy advanced weaponry abroad. While Gulf Arab nations have purchased advanced fighter jets, Iran still relies on pre-1979 US fighter jets, as well as other aging Soviet MiGs and other planes.

Facing that shortfall, Iran instead invested heavily into its ballistic missile program. That's due to both sanctions and the memory of the missile attacks launched by Saddam Hussein during Iran's bloody 1980s war with Iraq.

In pulling out of the nuclear deal, Trump in part blamed the accord not touching on Iran's ballistic missile program. The US fears Iran could use its missile technology and space program to build nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles, something Tehran denies it wants to do.

Meanwhile, Khamenei warned on Tuesday that Iran was going to retaliate over the seizure of a supertanker carrying 2.1 million barrels of light crude oil.

The vessel, Grace 1, was seized with the help of British Royal Marines earlier this month off Gibraltar.

Khamenei called the seizure of the ship "piracy" in a televised speech Tuesday.

"God willing, the Islamic republic and its committed forces will not leave this evil without a response," he said.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Saturday that Britain would facilitate the release the ship if Iran could provide guarantees the vessel was not going to breach European sanctions on oil shipments to Syria.

The post In shift, Iran says it is willing to discuss missile program appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

                                          Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Zarif said on Twitter that Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had killed an earlier agreement in 2005 by insisting that Iran stop all uranium enrichment.

Bolton & Netanyahu killed Paris agreement between E3 & Iran in '05 by insisting on zero enrichment.

Result? Iran increased its enrichment 100 fold by 2012.

Now they've lured @realDonaldTrump into killing #JCPOA w/the same delusion.#B_Team hasn't learned. BUT THE WORLD SHOULD.

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) July 9, 2019

"Now they've lured @realdonaldtrump into killing #JCPOA (the 2015 nuclear deal) w/the same delusion," Zarif added.

Iran enriched uranium beyond a 3.67% purity limit set by its deal with major powers this week, the UN nuclear watchdog policing the deal said on Monday, confirming a move previously announced by Tehran.

"[International Atomic Energy Agency] Director General Yukiya Amano has informed the IAEA Board of Governors that Agency inspectors on July 8 verified that Iran is enriching uranium above 3.67% U-235," an IAEA spokesman said.

A report to member states obtained by Reuters said that the agency had verified the enrichment level using online enrichment monitors, and that samples had also been taken on Monday for analysis.

The post Zarif: Netanyahu has fooled Trump into ditching nuclear deal appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

"We can confirm that IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano has informed the Board of Governors that the Agency verified on 1 July that Iran's total enriched uranium stockpile exceeded (the deal's limit)," an IAEA spokesman said in a statement.

                                              Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

An IAEA report sent to member states and obtained by Reuters put Iran's stock at above the deal's limit of 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of uranium hexafluoride.

Iran acknowledged Monday it had broken the limit set on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by the 2015 nuclear deal, marking its first major departure from the unraveling agreement a year after the US unilaterally withdrew from the accord.

Iran had been expected for days to acknowledge it broke the limit after earlier warning it would do so. It held off on publicly making an announcement as European leaders met Friday in Vienna to discuss ways to save the accord. Iran has threatened to increase its enrichment of uranium closer to weapons-grade levels by July 7.

The announcement comes as tensions remain high between Iran and the US In recent weeks, the wider Persian Gulf has seen Iran shoot down a US military surveillance drone, mysterious attacks on oil tankers and Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen launching bomb-laden drones into Saudi Arabia.

The post Nuclear watchdog: Iran in breach of nuclear deal key provision appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The two countries have been drawn into a starker confrontation since May, when Washington mounted pressure on Tehran by ordering all countries to halt imports of Iranian oil, and the future of Iran's 2015 nuclear pact with world powers hangs in the balance.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Washington has tightened sanctions and dispatched extra forces to the Middle East, and US fighter jets came within minutes of conducting airstrikes on Iran last month after Tehran downed an unmanned American drone.

"Iran will never yield to pressure from the United States. … If they want to talk to Iran, they should show respect," Zarif said in a speech broadcast live on state TV.

"Never threaten an Iranian. … Iran has always resisted pressure and has responded with respect when respected."

US President Donald Trump has called for negotiations with Iran with "no preconditions."

But Tehran has ruled out talks with Trump until the United States returns to the nuclear pact, which he quit last year, and has referred to the latest US sanctions on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials as "idiotic."

Khamenei has ruled out any negotiations with the United States while President Hassan Rouhani, who has taken a more pragmatic stance on relations with Washington, had previously signaled talks might be possible if sanctions were lifted.

On Friday, in last-ditch talks in Vienna to try and persuade Iran to back off from its plans to breach the limits, Iran's envoy said European countries still party to the nuclear deal had offered too little in return. On Monday, Iran said it crossed the allowed threshold.

The post Iran to US: Treat us with respect if you want talks appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.