The John Batchelor Show

VIDEO: Who is Zarif?

April 03, 2015

Thursday  2 April 2015  / Hour 1, Block B:  Eli Lake, Bloomberg, in re: Mohamed Javed Zarif, 54 years old.   "A very very slippery character" foreign minister of Iran. Has been cultivating US relationships for thirty years; dv[d a sort of camaraderie with the press. Iran has a right to dvp nukes and always will be peaceful.  Sanctions are unfair and unjust. What Zarif can do: he has a Ph.D. in intl relations and is a scholar – it’s radically different from dealing with lower-grade rogue states such as North Korea.    Zarif clearly has got the best of Kerry. 
UN, EU and US sanctions will effectively be lifted once Iran is meeting the terms of the deal, says Zarif. Kerry" IF Iran is seen to be cheating then t he sanctions will "snap back" – which sanctions? The catch is that Iran has to be [virtuous] for twenty years – do you think this is likely?  recall [similar agreements] with Saddam Hussein?  We’re counting on Iran to keep its word for two or three decades.  Zarif is such a smoothie – "Of course we'll keep our word; don’t disappoint me on this."  Zarif has already [only a few hours later] said that the White House fact sheets were [inaccurate].  Zarif tries to explain away the Supreme Leader's saying he'll obliterate Israel.  Pres Obama has promised to brief the House leaders on the contents of this agreement.  If he Senate wants to know about Zarif, ask the FBI, which has investigated him for years on the Alawi Fdn – hundreds of millions of dollars, which skirted US sanctions and [was determined to be acting illegally].  buff.ly/19LAXtA