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Iranian FM says U.S. "flip-flop" position harmful to mutual trust

02 October 2013 01:39 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad- Javad Zarif said Tuesday that the U.S. "flip-flop and contradictory" stance would destroy mutual trust, urging Washington to show consistency in dealing with Iran, APA reports quoting Press TV.

"(U.S.) President (Barack) Obama should avert contradiction in order to win the trust of the Iranian people. Flip-flop and contradictory positions will destroy trust and discredit the United States," Zarif was quoted as saying.

The remarks came after Obama's meeting with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday in Washington, where he said the United States would take no options off the table with regard to Iran.

Obama also said that Iranians were prepared to negotiate because of the effectiveness of the sanctions.

In the meeting, Netanyahu urged Obama to continue the sanctions and to tighten them in case Tehran insists on pushing ahead with its nuclear program.

"President Obama's presumption that Iran has entered negotiations (with the United States) due to his threats and illegal sanctions is an insult to the nation," Zarif was quoted as saying.

"We will not allow Netanyahu to determine the future of our negotiations," said Zarif, adding that the Israeli prime minister was the "most isolated" official at the recent UN General Assembly.

Zarif's remarks were echoed by Marzieh Afkham, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, as she said Tuesday that Israel's attempt to destroy the new diplomatic trend between Iran and the world was out of "frustration."

She added the U.S. administration should not be influenced by the Israeli lobby.