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Iran's VP denies supporting Russia in Ukraine war
On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer sits down with Iran’s Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif to get his perspective on the regional conflict. Zarif adamantly condemns Russia’s incursion into Ukrainian territory. He says, “Russia is to blame for the invasion of Ukraine,” but insists “the United States is responsible for what led to that invasion,” referring to US aid to Ukraine.
Zarif emphasizes the importance of Iran’s trade relationship with Russia. When Bremmer presses him about Iran’s complicity in the war, Zarif denies involvement. He says, "We simply engage in business.” As the Russia-Ukraine war continues to drag on, Iran’s actions will come under increased scrutiny.
Watch full episode: Iran's next move: Interview with VP Javad Zarif
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).
Iran's next move: Interview with VP Javad Zarif
As the anniversary of the Oct 7th Hamas attacks approaches, tensions in the Middle East are reaching a boiling point. Israel has ramped up its military operations against Iran-backed forces, launching devastating airstrikes across Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen. The assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Israel’s ground offensive into Lebanon has further escalated the conflict, as has Iran sending a wave of missiles towards Israel.
On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer sits down with Iran's new Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif just days before the Nasrallah assassination and Iran’s response. In their conversation, Zarif delves into the far-reaching ramifications of the ongoing conflict. He says, “So the myth of Israeli invincibility is gone. And I think that's a major loss for Israel.” Zarif also speaks about what he calls Iran’s unwavering stance on its right to self-defense and its determination to not fall into Israel’s “trap.”
And with an upcoming election, Zarif weighs in on the prospects of a Harris or Trump administration and addresses accusations of Iranian meddling. Zarif notes, “I don't have any preference. But some may prefer him in Iran. Some may believe that he is more in the national interest of Iran.”
Although Iran’s new president has promised to find common ground with the West, recent events have made it clear that the geopolitical tightrope remains perilously thin. As tensions continue to flare, the world waits and asks: What is Iran's next move?
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).
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The view from Tehran: Iran's VP Zarif on Israel, Gaza & US complicity in ongoing conflicts
Listen: The Middle East finds itself teetering on the brink of a full-scale regional conflict as the world marks one year since the October 7th Hamas attacks. Israel has intensified its military operations against Iran-backed forces across multiple fronts, leaving destruction in its wake. In the span of a week, the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Israel’s ground offensive into Lebanon have thrown gasoline on an already raging fire.
On this episode of the GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer sits down with Iran's Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif, just before the Nasrallah assassination news broke. They discuss Iran's recent actions during this critical time. In their conversation, Zarif discusses the conflict’s broader regional impact, Iran’s right to self-defense, and its determination that Iran will not fall into Israel’s “trap.” Zarif also weighs in on the upcoming US presidential election, speculating on whether a Harris or Trump administration would benefit Iran, and addresses the rumors of an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump. He says, "We don’t send people to assassinate people. I think it’s a campaign ploy." Zarif adds that, despite the new Iranian President’s pledge for a rapprochement with the West, recent developments have only driven the wedge further. And with Israel now in northern Lebanon, Iran now stands at a crossroads of what to do next.
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Iran's right to self-defense: VP Mohammad Javad Zarif
Is the shadow war between Israel and Iran officially out in the open? Iran launched a wave of ballistic missiles into Israel Tuesday night, calling the attack a response to Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in Lebanon last week. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps also said the attack was retaliation for the killing of Hamas’s political leader, Ismael Haniyeh, assassinated while visiting Tehran last July, as well as Israel’s April attack on an Iranian embassy in Syria, which killed an Iranian commander.
On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer spoke with Iran’s Vice President of Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif on September 25, days before Nasrallah’s assassination and Iran’s missile response. Zarif, who served as Iran’s foreign minister until 2021, made it clear that Tehran had a right to defend itself and warned Iran could respond to Israel at any time. Zarif said that Iran had, up to that point, shown restraint in order to avoid being “dragged” into a wider war, which he claimed would play into Israeli interests.
“[Israel] thrives on tension, on conflict, and we will not provide it to them,” Zarif said less than a week before Iran fired missiles into Israel’s territory, “But that doesn’t mean we will fail to defend our territory, our people, and our guests.”
Watch Ian Bremmer’s full interview with Vice President Zarif on GZERO World beginning this Friday, October 4. Check local listings.
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).
EXCLUSIVE: Iran VP denies plot to kill Trump
Donald Trump on Wednesday accused Iran of being behind plots to kill him.
Citing information reportedly given to him a day earlier by US intelligence, he said, “If I were the president, I would inform the threatening country, in this case, Iran, that if you do anything to harm this person, we are going to blow your largest cities and the country itself to smithereens. We're going to blow it to smithereens.”
There have, of course, been two known plots to kill Trump, one in July and one earlier this month.
But what do Iran’s leaders have to say about the matter?
“We don’t send people to assassinate people,” Iran’s Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif told GZERO Media President Ian Bremmer on Wednesday during an interview for our nationally televised program GZERO World.
“I think that’s a campaign ploy in order to get former President Trump out of the not-so-favorable situation he’s in in the elections,” he said.
He also maintained that Iran doesn’t intervene in the internal affairs of other countries.
“It’s not for me to decide who is going to win in the American elections. That’s for the American people to decide. And Iran doesn’t have a preference in this election,” Zarif said.
Pressed by Bremmer about allegations that Iran was behind recent efforts to hack into US presidential campaigns, Zarif conceded that while the attacks may have originated from within the Islamic Republic, it was “hackers operating in Iran,” but “not on behalf of Iran.”
“We are ourselves victims of hacking,” he said.
Watch the clip here, and tune in next week for Ian Bremmer’s full interview with Zarif in the next episode of GZERO World, airing on PBS stations around the country. Check local listings.
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).