Zarif: Netanyahu is 'the boy who cried wolf'
Iranian Foreign Ministersays that Israeli Prime Minister is like the boy who cries wolf after he repeats old allegations concerning Iran's nuclear activities.
"The boy who can't stop crying wolf is at it again. Undeterred by cartoon fiasco at UNGA. You can only fool some of the people so many times," tweeted Zarif on Monday.
Zarif was referring to Netanyahu's 2012 address to the United Nations in which he unfolded a chart with a cartoon-style drawing of a nuclear bomb, and proceeded to draw on it with a red magic-marker.
"This is a bomb," he said. "This is a fuse."
In a separate tweet, Zarif rejected accusations by the US President Donald Trump and Netanyahu concerning Tehran's pursuit of nuclear weapons.
"Pres. Trump is jumping on a rehash of old allegations already dealt with by the IAEA to “nix” the deal. How convenient. Coordinated timing of alleged intelligence revelations by the boy who cries wolf just days before May 12. But Trump’s impetuousness to celebrate blew the cover," he tweeted.
The remarks were made in response to Netanyahu who earlier delivered a televised address in which he accused Iran of violating the JCPOA. “That is just not an acceptable situation. They’re not sitting back idly. They’re setting off missiles, which they say are for television purposes. I don’t think so,” he said.
Just minutes after Netanyahu's speech, US President Donald renewed his strong criticism of JCPOA and gave a tacit approval to the Israeli prime minister’s rhetoric.
Meanwhile, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that Netanyahu is playing a baseless childish, naive game.
Araqchi went on to stress that such allegations against Tehran have already been proven wrong by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA.)
Since the JCPOA Implementation Day in January 2016, the IAEA has been monitoring Iran’s compliance with its nuclear-related commitments under the nuclear deal and has consistently verified the Islamic Republic’s compliance.
Araqchi also the Israeli PM is trying to affect US President Donald Trump's upcoming decision about the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA.)
He further noted that Iran does not care about Netanyahu's allegations.
The deputy foreign minister also said that Tehran is prepared for any scenario caused by the US president regarding future of JCPOA.
Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the US, France, Britain, Russia and China – plus Germany signed the nuclear agreement on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.
Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.
Trump has repeatedly described the JCPOA, which was negotiated under his predecessor, Barack Obama, as “the worst and most one-sided transaction Washington has ever entered into,” a characterization he often used during his presidential campaign, and threatened to tear it up.
Trump has threatened to pull out of the JCPOA unless Congress and America's European allies help "fix" it with a follow-up agreement within a 120-day deadline.