Dr. Zarif`s Response to the Letter of US Senators
Asked
about the open letter of 47 US Senators to Iranian leaders, the Iranian
Foreign Minister, Dr. Javad Zarif, responded that "in our view, this
letter has no legal value and is mostly a propaganda ploy.
It is very
interesting that while negotiations are still in progress and while no
agreement has been reached, some political pressure groups are so afraid
even of the prospect of an agreement that they resort to unconventional
methods, unprecedented in diplomatic history.
This indicates that like
Netanyahu, who considers peace as an existential threat, some are
opposed to any agreement, regardless of its content.
Zarif expressed astonishment that some
members of US Congress find it appropriate to write to leaders of
another country against their own President and administration.
He
pointed out that from reading the open letter, it seems that the authors
not only do not understand international law, but are not fully
cognizant of the nuances of their own Constitution when it comes to
presidential powers in the conduct of foreign policy.
Foreign Minister Zarif added that "I
should bring one important point to the attention of the authors and
that is, the world is not the United States, and the conduct of
inter-state relations is governed by international law, and not by US
domestic law.
The authors may not fully understand that in international
law, governments represent the entirety of their respective states, are
responsible for the conduct of foreign affairs, are required to fulfil
the obligations they undertake with other states and may not invoke
their internal law as justification for failure to perform their
international obligations.
The Iranian Foreign Minister added that
"Change of administration does not in any way relieve the next
administration from international obligations undertaken by its
predecessor in a possible agreement about Iran`s peaceful nuclear
program."
He continued "I wish to enlighten the authors that if the next
administration revokes any agreement with the stroke of a pen, as they
boast, it will have simply committed a blatant violation of
international law.
He emphasized that if the current
negotiation with P5+1 result in a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, it
will not be a bilateral agreement between Iran and the US, but rather
one that will be concluded with the participation of five other
countries, including all permanent members of the Security Council, and
will also be endorsed by a Security Council resolution.
Zarif expressed the hope that his
comments "may enrich the knowledge of the authors to recognize that
according to international law, Congress may not modify the terms of the
agreement at any time as they claim, and if Congress adopts any measure
to impede its implementation, it will have committed a material breach
of US obligations.
The Foreign Minister also informed the
authors that majority of US international agreements in recent decades
are in fact what the signatories describe as "mere executive agreements"
and not treaties ratified by the Senate.
He reminded them that "their letter in
fact undermines the credibility of thousands of such mere executive
agreements that have been or will be entered into by the US with various
other governments.
Zarif concluded by stating that "the
Islamic Republic of Iran has entered these negotiations in good faith
and with the political will to reach an agreement, and it is imperative
for our counterparts to prove similar good faith and political will in
order to make an agreement possible."
Thank you 47 Senators for embarrassing yourselves for what you are: a bunch of immature, out-of-control sycophants. You have demonstrated your ignorance for all to see not appreciating many Iranians have been educated in the United States and have retained a better understanding of our government.
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