“We’re ready to talk, but talk in terms of something that is not going to be valid only for the next 1 1/2 years or 5 1/2 years. We need to talk about something that is permanent, that would last,” he continued. “We already have an agreement. … These were difficult negotiations. It wasn’t just a two-page document that we signed, so that we could do another two-page document.”
Brennan asked if he meant he wouldn’t negotiate with the Trump administration without it bringing back the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was negotiated by President Barack Obama’s administration in 2015. Trump pulled out of the deal in 2018.
“It’s not an old deal,” Zarif said. “It’s a deal that exists now. There is a negotiating room. There is a negotiating table.”
Zarif then said he wouldn’t meet with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outside of the deal being re-implemented.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member