Peace endangers existence of Israel: Iran foreign minister

“In order to cover up its crimes as well as inhuman and barbarous policies toward regional nations, Israel exploits disagreements and conflicts,” Zarif told Lebanese al-Mayadeen television channel.
 
    The Iranian foreign minister, who was speaking after the conclusion of a historic agreement between the Islamic Republic and the P5+1, said, “Peace threatens the existence of the Zionist regime (Israel).”
 
Iran and the P5+1 group of countries – the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany – reached an agreement on Tuesday in the Austrian capital city of Vienna.
 
The agreement, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), will put limits on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the removal of sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
 
Following the announcement of the landmark agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has for months been engaged in attempts to block efforts for the conclusion of the nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1, described the achievement as “a bad mistake of historic proportions.”
 
In his remarks to al-Mayadeen, Zarif said extremism and sectarian conflicts are the two major challenges the region is grappling with.
 
Referring to the talks between Iran and the P5+1 over the past 22 months, he said, “Two years of diplomacy and respect proved more effective than years of enmity and hatred.”
 
“The world has changed; and now respect and diplomacy are the two main keys to the resolution of problems and disagreements,” he said.
 
    “I declare to our brothers in Arab countries that the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to join hands with them and fight against common challenges,” the top Iranian diplomat said.
 
A host of countries including the regional countries of the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria and Pakistan have lauded the agreement between Iran and the six world powers.
 
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Tuesday described the conclusion of the nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 as a potential “game changer” in the chaotic Middle East region.
 
“This agreement is a sign of hope in the world and especially in the region that desperately needs signs of hope because it is full of signs of desperation and war,” Mogherini said.