Why it matters:
Zarif’s remarks, delivered at the International Iranology Conference in Tehran, highlight Iran's long-standing position that Israel fabricates threats to justify regional escalation and derail diplomatic efforts such as the JCPOA.
The big picture:
Iran is a founding advocate of a "West Asia free of nuclear weapons", with all its nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards and the Additional Protocol. Israel, meanwhile, is widely believed to possess an undeclared nuclear arsenal and remains outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Zarif argued that the “securitization of Iran” is a narrative-based project designed to push the region toward conflict.
What he’s saying:
On Israel’s nuclear claims:
“A regime that illegally produced nuclear weapons in West Asia and even stands accused of assassinating a former U.S. president for opposing its nuclear weapons program now claims Iran is pursuing nuclear arms.”
Zarif added that Israel is “the only party whose very existence is threatened by peace,” noting its opposition to every major diplomatic effort in the region, including the JCPOA.
On narrative warfare:
“In the battle of narratives, we failed to present the truth about this resilient, hospitable, and peace-seeking nation to the world.”
Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif said Iran has historically been a center of interaction and cultural exchange, attracting Arabs, Mongols, and others who ultimately blended into Iranian civilization.
On dangers of false narratives:
“The narrative that turns Iran into a security threat is a lie, one that dragged the region to the edge of a dangerous war. Those whose survival depends on war will continue this game if the lie is not exposed.”
On recent Israeli actions:
Zarif questioned why Israel attacked Iran two days before the sixth round of Iran–U.S. talks, saying:
“For Israel, peace is an existential threat. This is why it opposed the JCPOA, whose only goal was to bring stability.”
Key points:
- Zarif said Iran has always remained committed to dialogue but will “bow to no threat.”
- He emphasized Iran’s cultural power, language, literature, art, not military expansion, as its historical means of influence.
- He argued that the Islamic Revolution gave Iran new motivation to reshape international engagement.
- He highlighted that if false narratives based on fabricated histories are not allowed to overshadow future opportunities, the region can achieve stability.
State of play:
Zarif underlined a guiding principle in Iranian and Islamic tradition:
“Be proud before the arrogant, but remain open to dialogue with those willing to engage.”
Go deeper:
The former foreign minister said Iran had introduced a new framework for global engagement even before the end of the bipolar Cold War, and that this framework could have strengthened Iran’s international ties if not obstructed by hostile narratives.
He stressed the responsibility of scholars:
“You, the academics, are the ones who can open the way forward—if you prevent fabricated pasts from blocking future possibilities.”
Bottom line:
Zarif insists that peace, not war, is the true threat to Israel, and that challenging false narratives about Iran is essential to preventing regional escalation.
Hossein Vaez - Mojtaba Darabi
