Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Sarif warned the US, on the sidelines of a visit to the United Nations in New York, that the conflict with his country was on the rise. „I think the United States is playing with the fire,“ he told NBC News yesterday. He took up comments that US President Donald Trump had addressed to Tehran.
Sarif said that Iran does not want to develop nuclear weapons. „If we had wanted to develop nuclear weapons, we could have done that a long time ago.“ The enrichment of uranium beyond the amount agreed in the international nuclear agreement and the agreed upon level could also be reversed „within hours“.
US visa with strong restrictions
The Foreign Minister is attending a UN meeting on Sustainable Development in New York. The US government has issued him a visa, but provided this with many restrictions. Sarif may only operate in a limited area that includes the United Nations Headquarters and Iran’s UN Mission.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Washington Post, „US diplomats are not moving around Tehran, so we see no reason why Iranian diplomats should roam freely in New York City.“ A UN spokesman said The UN Secretariat has communicated to the US its „concerns“ about the unusually stringent restrictions on Sarif.
Since the US opted out of the Vienna nuclear agreement with Iran, tensions between the two countries have worsened. The US has also threatened Foreign Minister Sarif with sanctions in the wake of the conflict.
