‘How many has US killed?’ Zarif slams Washington hypocrisy, says Iran will never produce nukes

Iran will never seek nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction because of its commitment to religious principles, said Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who slammed the US for selective humanitarianism.

Speaking to an Iranian veteran’s group on Tuesday, the foreign minister pilloried the idea that Washington called off a planned strike last week over concerns that it could have killed 150 people, according to the IRIB news agency.

“You were really worried about 150 people?” Zarif said incredulously.

How many people were killed by nuclear weapons? How many generations did you destroy with these weapons?

Zarif added it was Iran that led the global fight against weapons of mass destruction, “and we will never pursue nuclear weapons according to our religious views.”

Months of tension between Washington and Tehran culminated last week when US President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on targets in Iran in response to the downing of a US surveillance drone over the Gulf of Oman. While the strikes were called off at the last minute, Trump has since threatened the Islamic Republic with “obliteration,” and followed up the aborted strike with a fresh round of economic sanctions.

President Trump reignited hostilities last year when he abrogated America’s withdrawal from the nuclear pact signed between Iran and the other permanent members of the UN Security Council – China, Russia, France, the UK and Germany – reviving the US sanctions regime that existed prior to the deal. While Iran and the other signatories remain in the agreement, and the UN’s nuclear watchdog continues to verify that Iran’s nuclear program is within its safeguards, Washington insists on negotiating a “better deal.”

In response to the renewed sanctions, Iran moved to quadruple its rate of uranium enrichment in May, and vowed to enrich to a higher level of purity if Washington does not return to the deal by July. American sanctions relief was a major motivator for Iran in pursuing the nuclear deal, making Washington’s participation an essential element of the agreement.

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