At the annual Munich Security Conference, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif drew praise on Iranian social media for his combative style and approach during his 14-minute speech and longer question-and-answer segment with a BBC journalist.
Zarif accused the United States of having an “obsession” with Iran for 40 years. He added, “In the past two years the US has taken its animus towards Iran to a new extreme” by rejecting the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and attempting to force others to violate the nuclear deal. He said that Vice President Mike Pence, who spoke the day before him at the Munich conference, “arrogantly demanded” that Europe jeopardize its own security and leave the deal.
