Iranian VP Claims: We Did Not Know About October 7

Iranian Vice President Mohammad Javad Zarif denied on Wednesday that Iran had any prior knowledge of the Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7, 2023. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and quoted by AFP, Zarif stated that the attack on October 7 had effectively eliminated any chances of reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and global powers.

“We did not know about October 7… We were supposed to have a meeting with the Americans on JCPOA renewal on October 9, which was undermined and destroyed by this operation,” Zarif said, referring to the 2015 agreement by its official name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Zarif claimed that Iran’s regional allies, including Hamas, often pursued their own interests without considering Iran’s objectives. “Tehran’s allies in the region, including Hamas, have always worked for their own cause, even at our expense,” he said, adding, “We never tried to cash (in on) our investment in the region.”

These statements align with those made by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who praised the October 7 attack but denied any Iranian involvement. “The supporters of the Zionist regime (Israel) and some people in the usurping regime have been spreading rumors over the past two or three days, including that Islamic Iran was behind this action. They are wrong,” Khamenei said in a speech at a military academy just days after the attack.

Khamenei’s denial came after a report by the Wall Street Journal suggested that Iranian security officials had been involved in planning the attack and gave the go-ahead for the operation during a meeting in Beirut.

Zarif, currently Iran’s Vice President for strategic affairs, played a pivotal role in negotiating the 2015 nuclear agreement while he was serving as the country’s Foreign Minister.

In response to the U.S. withdrawal from the agreement under President Donald Trump, Iran has taken several steps to reduce its compliance with the 2015 deal. These actions include barring UN nuclear inspectors from the country and ramping up its uranium enrichment efforts.

Despite these actions, Iran has shown an openness to resuming discussions on the agreement. Earlier this month, Iranian officials held nuclear talks with representatives from the UK, France, and Germany. Both parties described the discussions as “frank and constructive.”

Zarif also emphasized that Iran has never intended to build nuclear weapons. “Had we wanted to build a nuclear weapon, we could have done it a long time ago. But a program to build nuclear weapons is not going to be like our program.”

Looking ahead, Zarif expressed hope that President Trump would adopt a more rational approach in dealing with Iran during his current term. “We hope he would choose ‘rationality’ and ‘be more serious, more focused, more realistic’ in dealing with Iran,” Zarif said.

{Matzav.com}