Following are excerpts from an interview with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, which aired on Press TV on September 11, 2013.
Click here to view this clip on MEMRI TV:
Mohammad Javad Zarif: "I think a number of groups and people inside the United States, and some interests outside the United States, want to put the president of the U.S. – who I believe was reluctant to start a war – into a trap, a trap which he had, unfortunately, laid down for himself.
"That was to get him involved in a war in order to address a hypothetical issue of the use of chemical weapons by the government of Syria. I say a 'hypothetical issue' because there was, and still is, no proof that the use of chemical weapons was perpetrated by the government." […]
"The use of chemical weapons is a crime. We believe it is a crime against humanity. But we also believe that the use of force, the threat of use of force, is also a criminal offense in international law.
"Unfortunately, it seems to me that the United States seems to be living in the 19th century, when the use of force was a prerogative of states. It is not.
"I believe that the President of the United States, who seems to be a very fine constitutional lawyer, has to look into his international law books, which he hasn't reviewed recently, and consider the fact that when he concedes – as he did last night before the American people – that there is no imminent or direct threat against the United States, then the United States does not have any standing, under any provision of international law, to take the law into its own hands." […]
"There is a need for the United States to come to the realization – and I believe that this is an important realization for the United States – that not only is the use of force illegal, that not only is the threat of force against a peremptory norm of international law, but also, and more importantly, the use of force is ineffective. Force has lost its utility in international relations." […]
"I believe that the statement 'all options are on the table' is an outdated statement, because all options are not on the table, at least for countries that claim to be law abiding, for countries that claim to be following the U.N. Charter, for countries who push others to live up to their international obligations under the U.N. Charter, who want to punish others for violating international law.
"They have to know that all options are not on the table. Threats and use of force have been removed from the table a long time ago by countries, including the U.S., when they gathered in San Francisco, and decided to save the succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which, twice in their generation, have caused untold misery. So this comes from the Charter of the United Nations, adopted, under U.S. hospitality in San Francisco, in 1945. So they have to understand that all options are not on the table.
"I hope that reason will prevail. I hope that with the Russian proposal, and the opportunity that has been created by the acceptance by Syria of the Russian proposal, others will stop creating excuses to push for a war, to beat the drums of war.
"They should understand that this is dangerous for themselves and for the region." […]
"We all need to sit down and push all Syrian factors, and encourage all Syrian factors, including the Syrian government, and those who are really interested in the future of Syria, to the negotiating table in order to find a peaceful solution.
"The Syrian crisis does not have a military solution. That has to be understood by all." […]
Interviewer: "Does Iran know who used chemical weapons on August 21 in Syria?"
Mohammad Javad Zarif: "We have indications – and we had shared those indications in the past, with the U.S. and with others – that unfortunately, and this is extremely dangerous, chemical weapons were being smuggled into Syria to armed groups that are fighting the Syrian people and the Syrian government. This was information that we had for some time.
"A number of arrests were made earlier this year, in neighboring countries, indicating the fact that this was actually taking place."
Interviewer: "Did we get a response from the Americans?"
Mohammad Javad Zarif: "Unfortunately not." […]
