TEHRAN – Resistance movements emerged in response to Israeli occupation, apartheid policies, and acts of genocide, and they will persist until these issues are resolved, said Iran’s Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Zarif made the remarks while speaking with CNN’s GPS host Fareed Zakaria at the 55th World Economic Forum in Davos.

“The Resistance will stay as long as the occupation stays, as long as repression stays. Resistance to Israel, Israeli occupation, apartheid, and genocide, existed before the Iranian revolution,” Zarif said adding that the formation of the currently active Resistance groups began back in the 1960s when Israel believed it had managed to wipe out such forces. 

On the Gaza war, Zarif said: “Netanyahu did not achieve his goal of destroying Hamas. Hamas is still there. Israel had to come to a ceasefire. I hope it will be permanent, for the sake of 50,000 people who were massacred by Israel, so that there won't be another 50,000. But Resistance is not dead.”

Zarif stated that Israel tends to frame its conflicts as an Israeli-Iranian matter, whereas they are fundamentally an Israeli-Palestinian issue. “As long as the Palestinian issue is there, the struggle will be there,” he said, adding that Iran was not aware of Hamas’ plan to carry out an operation in the occupied territories on October 7, 2023. 

Regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the VP expressed hope that the new U.S. President would act more judiciously and rejoin the nuclear agreement which his previous administration had rendered ineffective. Zarif said Trump’s advisors as well as figures like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu managed to successfully convince the president that he needed to leave the pact in 2018. 

Trump was told that “Iran was crumbling, and a sudden withdrawal from JCPOA would be the last nail in its’ coffin,” and that an exit from the JCPOA would get Trump international support, the Iranian official noted.  

“Both extremely wrong assumptions of Trump's advisors, not Trump himself. So, I hope that this time around a Trump II will be more serious, more focused, more realistic to know that the withdrawal that was imposed on him, and that he did it for Israel.”

Countering Iranophobia top priority of Zarif at Davos, VP’s media representative tells Tehran Times

Countering Iranophobia is a top priority for Zarif at the World Economic Forum in Davos, according to the VP’s media representative, Hadi Mohammadi. Speaking to the Tehran Times, Mohammadi stated that Zarif's engagement at the forum has heavily focused on addressing false perceptions and countering narratives that promote fear and prejudice against Iran. The representative emphasized the importance of this effort in light of recent geopolitical tensions.

"Given the current sensitive climate, it's crucial to use these opportunities to articulate Iran's position," Mohammadi stated. "Israel's ongoing efforts against Iran necessitate that the Islamic Republic actively raise its voice and directly counter Israeli attempts to spread Iranophobia. This is a continuous mission that requires broader participation from other officials."

Apart from his conversation with Zakaria, The VP's engagements have so far included meetings with international leaders such as the Presidents of Iraq and Serbia, the Foreign Ministers of Norway and Qatar, the Prime Minister of Iraq's Kurdistan region, and the head of the World Economic Forum. He also attended a dinner event hosted by the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council. “He is scheduled for additional media interactions before his trip concludes Thursday evening.,” Mohammadi declared.