Iran's Zarif: Oman informed us before Netanyahu's visit
Iran was against Netanyahu’s visit. “We told them, we emphasized our view and that it is against their interests,” Zarif said.
By SETH J. FRANTZMANUpdated: JANUARY 2, 2019 17:57PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu meets Sultan Qaboos bin Said in Oman.(photo credit: GPO/REUTERS)
Oman informed Iran before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Oman in October, according to an interview with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.In the interview with Iran’s Hamshahri newspaper published Online by Fars News, Zarif spoke about Iran’s role in the region and Israel.According to Zarif, the government of Oman informed Iran about Netanyahu’s trip since Iran was against Netanyahu’s visit. “We told them, we emphasized our view and that it is against their interests,” Zarif said. Iran has accused Israel of trying to create a rift among regional states by visiting Oman.Zarif also said that Israel and Western powers made a caricature of Iran in Western media. He said that the US has often prioritized the interests of Israel over its own interests. “In America there is a term called ‘America first,” he noted, contrasting it with the “Israel first” approach. Zarif claimed that US policies are not being followed under the Trump administration, and gave an example of the embassy transfer to Jerusalem. “In the last 70 years it was the interests of Israel that overshadowed the interests of the US,” Zarif said.The Iranian Foreign Minister sought to portray himself as aiding his country’s image on the global stage. He said that he had traveled to Turkey over 20 times, and also to Russia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. His narrative was designed to portray the US and Israel as isolated despite the US sanctions on Iran that have increased this year. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani claimed that Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria indicates a defeat for the US in the region. Zarif also mocked the US and Israel withdrawal from UNESCO. “Is anything left for the Trump administration and its client regime to withdraw from?” Zarif tweeted on Wednesday.The US praised Netanyahu’s visit to Oman. It came after several ministerial visits to the United Arab Emirates and amid reports that Israel’s relations with the Gulf have improved.
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