WANA (Mar 04) – Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s former foreign minister, reacted to Donald Trump’s recent insult toward Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, emphasizing: “No one can treat Iran the way Zelensky was treated.”

 

In an interview, Zarif addressed the tensions between U.S. President Trump and Ukraine’s President Zelensky and said: “At the White House, we witnessed a scene that showed some believe they can treat any country the same way they treated Zelensky. But Iran is in a position where no one dares to behave like that toward us. This is an important difference.”

 

He continued: “Some say Trump treated Zelensky that way because he lacked Iran’s historical backing and independence in decision-making. Today, we stand at a point where we have secured our own security. No one can say to us: ‘If it weren’t for us, you wouldn’t last three days against Russia’.”

 

He referred to remarks made by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, who said: “If it weren’t for the U.S., today Arabs would be speaking Persian.” Zarif rejected this claim, adding: “Of course, we never wanted such a thing. But these statements are part of the Iranophobia project, which is a reality. However, today, no one can claim that Iran’s territorial integrity would not have been preserved without foreign support.”

 

The former foreign minister further emphasized: “Some think security can be bought—this was Zelensky’s mistake. But security is not something that can be imported.”

 

“I believe Trump’s main intention in this matter was to pressure Biden. He was upset that Zelensky had approached the negotiating table with Russia and did not allow these negotiations to reach a conclusion. Today, Zelensky is paying the price for this dependency because instead of making independent decisions, he let others decide for him,” he stated.

 

In conclusion, Zarif said, “Iran is now in a position where it can make independent decisions. This position was not achieved easily, and a high price has been paid for it.”