TEHRAN - Hossein Amir Abdollahian, a senior foreign advisor to the parliament speaker, says the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh by the Zionist regime was impossible without cooperation by spy services of other countries.

“With regard to architects and elements of the terror there are different pieces of evidence that the Zionists had a role in this issue, but whether the Zionists alone were able to do this act without cooperation by other (spy) services such as those of the U.S. or other services, they were definitely were not able to do that,” Amir Abdollahian told the Al-Alam news network.

He said that the enemies have been seeking every opportunity to kill Iranian scientists, especially those involved in developing Iran’s defense capabilities and basic sciences.

Fakhrizadeh was assassinated on November 27 on a roadway in Absard city about 40 kilometers northeast of Tehran.

“They are always monitoring our scientists and try to make use of every opportunity and intelligence gap to deal a blow to the unique area of science and technology in Iran.”
  
If the assassination of Fakhrizadeh took place now it does not mean that they had no intention to do such acts over the past few years.

The point is that they were not able to do it, he added.

Over the past years Israel has assassinated five other Iranian scientists. It killed Masoud Alimohammadi, Majid Shahriari, Darioush Rezaeinejad, and Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan. Israel also attempted to assassinate Fereydon Abbassi, former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and now the chairman of the Parliament Energy Committee, but it failed. 

“But, unfortunately, this time they used a security loophole and committed such act, which of course was a complicated plot.”
 
From the first hour of the terrorist act, Iran pointed the finger at Israel.

“If you ask me who was behind this act, I shall say that some intelligence officials of the fake regime of Israel claimed that we were behind this even. Netanyahu tried to deny (because) he is actually a coward person. While he makes some claims he does not dare to accept its responsibility because he knows he cannot tolerate its repercussions.”

He added, “What now I can say is that the commanders of this terror have been identified for the Islamic Republic of Iran and they will surely get a crushing response.”

Some of the attackers have been identified and even detained and they cannot “escape justice”, he said, adding they will receive a strong punishment.   

However, the diplomat said he prefers not to provide more details due to the sensitivity of the issue.

The foreign policy advisor to the parliament speaker added though it became clarified later that the Zionists had played a great role in the assassination of Iranian scientists, they had made use of other countries’ help and their spy services to implement their pernicious intentions.

On Iran’s response to the terrorist act, he said, “In the not-too-distant future you will witness a decisive response to commanders of this terror by the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

Iran’s response will be “multi-layer”, he pointed out.

---------Parliamentary ratification was a response to the violation of commitments by JCPOA parties

He also said the parliamentary approval for lifting sanctions, which its discussions started about four months ago, was not just a response to the Fakhrizadeh assassination, but retaliation against breach of nuclear obligations by the Europeans and the criminal and unilateral sanctions by the Trump administration.

Based on the parliamentary approval that is being endorsed by the oversight Guardian Council, the Atomic Energy Organization will be obliged to accelerate nuclear enrichment activities, increase the purity of nuclear fuel, install advanced centrifuges, and stop unannounced inspections by the International Atomic Energy if the sanctions against Iran are not lifted within a specific time.   

The government has expressed uneasiness over the ratification, saying it has not been consulted by the parliament or that the ratification may affect the diplomacy.

However, Amir Abdollahian said the grievance is an indication of pluralism and democracy in the country.

The veteran diplomat said even though the JCPOA was signed and implemented during the Barack Obama administration it was breached in certain cases by the U.S. at that time. 

The JCPOA – the official name for the nuclear deal – was signed on July 14, 2015, and went into force on January 16, 2016. 

Donald Trump, who was campaigning in 2016, started his relentless attacks on the JCPOA and officially withdrew the U.S. from it in May 2018 and introduced the harshest sanctions in history against Iran. 

Trump lost to his Democratic rival Joe Biden in the Nov. 3 election. Biden has vowed to rejoin the agreement.  

Amir Abdollahian said in the foreign policy area it is “simplistic” to think that a golden opportunity has been created for revitalizing the JCPOA and resolving problems now that Biden, who served as vice president under President Obama, is going to lead the U.S. from January 20.

Still not taking the helm at the White House, Amir Abdollahian said, Biden, is talking about the necessity of an alliance with the European countries and some others for countering Iran, China, and Russia.

Biden is also talking about issues other than the JCPOA, he said.

“He is talking about the region, (Iran’s) defensive missiles,” the foreign policy advisor said. “It seems that Biden wants to put all issues on the negotiation table.”

Amir Abdollahian, who served as Iran’s point man for Arab affairs in the Foreign Ministry, said “the criterion for us is the behavior of America.”

He added, “Biden and Democrats should tell us whether their strategy toward Iran is continuation of hostility or friendship and peaceful cooperation.”
 
Iran has vehemently said that it will not compromise on its defensive missile program or its regional influence.

“We are not going to have regional JCPOA and missile JCPOA and others,” the advisor pointed out.

On remarks by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas who have said that the JCPOA should be expanded to include Iran’s missiles and regional activities, Amir Abdollahian said, “The German foreign minister should provide answers to (Iranian) people about lack of commitment toward the JCPOA.” 

In an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel published in recent days, Maas said, “A return to the previous agreement will not suffice anyway. There will have to be a kind of ‘nuclear agreement plus,’ which is also in our interest. We have clear expectations of Iran: no nuclear weapons, but also no ballistic missile program that threatens the entire region. Iran also needs to play a different role in the region,” 

He added, “We need this agreement precisely because we distrust Iran. I have already coordinated with my French and British counterparts on this.”

Iran welcomes mutual dialogue with Saudi Arabia

The former diplomat also said if Saudi Arabia is seeking mutual talks he is welcomed, but there would be no talks on the JCPOA.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud has recently called for a new nuclear deal with Iran to replace the existing one. He has also offered that Persian Gulf Arab states such as Saudi Arabia be included in the talks.

Iran has insisted that the JCPOA is a legally binding deal and it will never renegotiate it. 

On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Zarif advised the Arab countries in the region to exclude the West from regional talks, saying the U.S. and European powers are the causes of problems in West Asia.
“Dear neighbors, why ask US/E3 for inclusion in talks with Iran when: a) There won't be ANY talks about OUR region with them as they're the problem themselves. b) We can speak directly about our region without outside meddling,” Zarif wrote in a tweet on Tuesday.

Normalization deal was just between Mohammed bin Zayed and Israel 

Amir Abdollahian also said the normalization deal between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel was just an agreement between Mohammed bin Zayed and the Zionist regime and six other emirates had no role in it.

The diplomat went on to say that officials in the U.S., due to their close ties with the Zionists, will use every opportunity to “humiliate” Arab rulers by pushing for normalization agreements between Arab capitals and Israel.

 He said there is no doubt that the current rulers in Riyadh and elements close to King Salman have ties with the Zionist regime.

Amir Abdollahian also reiterated Iran’s long-held position on the Yemen crisis, saying, “The only soluble way for Yemen is dialogue and political approach.”

Saudi Arabia started a war against Yemen in March 2016 with the aim of reinstating the toppled government of Mansour al-Hadi. Other countries, including the UAE, joined Saudi Arabia in the war.

Amir Abdollahian said since the war started Britain has sold more than 6 billion dollars of arms to Saudi Arabia and its partners in the war against Yemenis.
 
Making a comparison between the areas controlled by Ansarullah and its allies with those by others, saying no terrorist event has taken place over the past five years in Sana’a and northern Yemen run by Ansarullah but the country’s south has turned into a ground for terrorists and proxy wars.

Arms exporters need Yemen war

The expert on the Arab world said King Salman and his son Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who is crown prince, are tired of the war in Yemen and are seeking a face-saving exit from the Yemen quagmire but “international players” who are seeking to sell arms need the war in Yemen to continue.

“The level of decision making for the Yemen issue is beyond the Emirates and even the rulers of Saudi Arabia.”

He also said the fact that Iran has sent an ambassador to Sana’a clearly shows that “we are on the side of the legal government and Yemen people and at the same time were not against any Yemeni.”

On the visit by new Syrian foreign minister Faisal Mekdad, he said the visit took place due to Iran’s support for the Syrians in their war against terrorists and foreign-backed militants.

“This visit showed that the relations between the countries is a priority and the Islamic Republic of Iran is an important and strategic partner for Syria in the region.”

Pointing to the memoir of his meetings with the Syrian leader, he said President Bashar al-Assad has said, “The blood of the Iranian and Syrian people have been mixed.”