Javad Zarif

Mohammad Javad Zarif (born 7 January 1960) is an Iranian diplomat, academic and current Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Quotes

Interview to CNN

  • His (Donald Trump) threats will not frighten us. But what he is showing something- he is showing to the International community that he has no respect for International law, that he is prepared to commit war crimes because attacking cultural sites is a war crime and disproportionate responce is a war crime. But he doesn't care, it seems, about International law. But he has made U.S. more secure? Do Americans feel more secure? Are Americans welcome today in this region? Do they feel welcome?
  • Beautiful military equipment don't rule the world, People rule the world. People.

Revolution

  • "The concept of a velvet revolution in Iran should not be considered as groundless fear."
  • "We do not jail people for their opinions[.]"
  • "All ethnicities and groups in Syria should begin the process of reconstruction within a single unit under the Syrian flag."(during his visit to Damascus on September 2018). IFP News (2018-09-03).
  • "Currently, Americans have focused on psychological warfare and are doing their best to place psychological pressure on Iranians and our international partners." (during an interview with the state TV). IFP News (2018-08-26).
  • "In order to practice dialogue, you need to be able to set aside your assumptions and try to listen more than you want to talk. It’s not always politically correct to be able to do that, but it can give you a better sense of the reality. I have benefited from the knowledge and the information that all these people have been able to provide to me. I have disagreements with some and more agreements with others. But that doesn’t mean I cannot listen to those I disagree with." According to Wright, Robin (2014-05-26). The Adversary. The New Yorker. Retrieved on 2015-04-04.

On social media

  • "Iran never denied it [The Holocaust]. The man who was perceived to be denying it (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) is now gone."
    • 4 September 2013 on his Twitter account, replying to Christine Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi’s daughter and a former chief of staff for Representative John Tierney, of Massachusetts. According to Wright, Robin (2014-05-26). The Adversary. The New Yorker. Retrieved on 2015-04-04.
  • "The art of a diplomat is to conceal all turbulence behind his smile."

Quotes About Mohammad Javad Zarif

By his professors

  • "[He was] good in the classroom. At that time ... I thought he'd play an important part in his country's life."
    • Ved P. Nanda, Thompson G. Marsh Professor of Law at the University of Denver, who taught Zarif and was on his dissertation committee. According to Wright, Robin (2014-05-26). The Adversary. The New Yorker. Retrieved on 2015-04-04.
  • "He was among the very best students that I’ve ever taught, He’s just a very nice person."
    • Edward Thomas Rowe, Associate Professor of Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, who led the committee that oversaw Zarif’s dissertation. According to Nussbaum, Matthew (2015-07-12). Iranian diplomat Zarif made impression at DU. The Denver Post. Retrieved on 2015-07-12.

By Israeli counterparts

By American counterparts

A respected adversary. ~ Henry Kissinger
  • "[Zarif is] extremely well-informed [about the US] and deeply knowledgeable [about his own country]. He's admirably suited by temperament, background and education to work on these issues that have divided the US and Iran for 34 years".
  • "Zarif had achieved the final breakthrough without which the [Hamid] Karzai government might never have been formed [in Afghanistan]".
    • James F. Dobbins, the State Department's Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan in his testimony before the U.S. Congress. According to Wright, Robin (2014-05-26). The Adversary. The New Yorker. Retrieved on 2015-04-04.
  • "Zarif is a tough advocate, but he’s also pragmatic, not dogmatic, He can play an important role in helping to resolve our significant differences with Iran peacefully."
  • "He doesn’t play games, He doesn’t produce incendiary sentences. He is thoughtful. He is real. He wants to help his people and lead them in a different direction. That’s important to me in my measurement of a person.”
  • "To [Zarif] a respected adversary."
    • Henry Kissinger wrote in a copy of his book Diplomacy which gave Zarif as a gift in a farewell party shortly before leaving the U.N. in 2007. According to Wright, Robin (2014-05-26). The Adversary. The New Yorker. Retrieved on 2015-04-04.
  • "He [Zarif] was intelligent, courteous, disciplined, interesting to talk to, I conducted the conversation to educate myself, so I did not try to persuade him [Zarif] of any particular approach, except my basic theme was that, on the basis of national interests, there is no conflict between Iran and the United States. Everything beyond that is ideological."

By European counterparts

  • "He’s a craftsman. The proof is the 123 lives that we brought back to their families and homes".
    • Giandomenico Picco, an Italian diplomat and the former U.N. hostage negotiator about Zarif’s "invaluable" role, between 1989 and 1991, in freeing Western hostages held by in Lebanon. According to Wright, Robin (2014-05-26). The Adversary. The New Yorker. Retrieved on 2015-04-04.


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