Foreign Minister Zarif attended U.N. meetings in New York from July 15-19. During which he did interviews with several journalists and television networks. The following are excerpts from three television interviews. He also did a separate interview with print correspondents available at this link.
The majority of Democratic presidential candidates have called for returning to the 2015 nuclear deal, although some believe the agreement should be revised and strengthened. They have criticized the Trump administration for escalating tensions with Iran and raising the potential for an armed conflict. “The American people need to understand that this war with Iran would be far more devastating, far more costly than anything that we ever saw in Iraq. It would take many more lives,” Representative Tulsi Gabbard (HI) said at the first Democratic presidential debate on June 26.
Since July 1, Iran has engaged in two breaches of the 2015 nuclear deal. On July 1, it increased its stockpile of low-enriched uranium above the 300-kilogram limit. On July 8, it increased enrichment from the limit of 3.67 percent to 4.5 percent. Iran had previously complied with the agreement, even after President Trump abandoned it in May 2018. What do Iran’s decisions mean for the future of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action)?
On June 28, representatives from China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Iran met in Vienna to discuss ways to save the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The meeting was co-chaired on behalf of Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Secretary General of the European External Action Service Helga Schmid.
On June 21, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) reimposed restrictions on Iran which had been suspended since October 2016. The FATF is an inter-governmental body of 36 countries that sets standards for countering the financing of terrorism and money laundering. During the FATF conference in Orlando, Florida, the organization urged its members to require an “increased supervisory examination for branches and subsidiaries of financial institutions based in Iran.”
The following maps, videos and graphics provide context for escalating tensions between Iran and the United States in 2019.
At around 4:00 a.m. on June 20, Iranian forces shot down a U.S. military drone over or near the Strait of Hormuz. It marked a significant escalation in tensions between Iran and the United States. The countries had conflicting versions of what happened.
The international community had mixed reactions to the attacks on two tankers, which took place in the Gulf of Oman on June 13. Britain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) shared the U.S. assessment that Iran was responsible. “We have done our own intelligence assessment and the phrase we used is almost certain ... We don’t believe anyone else could have done this,” said British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
Iran and India have had a complex trade relationship built around oil — dating back to the days of the British Raj — that was abruptly terminated in early 2019 by U.S. sanctions. The trade had literally fueled both countries’ economies, although Iran depended more on India. By 2012, India was the second largest importer of Iranian oil, after China. India bought oil even when Iran was sanctioned between 2006 and 2016.
At least four countries – Iraq, Japan, Oman, and Switzerland – have either served as or offered to be intermediaries between Iran and the United States.
