Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has commented on the US State Department's creation of the Iran Action Group to deal with policy regarding the Islamic Republic following Washington's controverisial withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal.
According to him, the creation of the "action group" aims to overthrow the Iranian state, however, the attempt will fail.
65 years ago today, the US overthrew the popularly elected democratic government of Dr. Mossadegh, restoring the dictatorship & subjugating Iranians for the next 25 years. Now an “Action Group” dreams of doing the same through pressure, misinformation & demagoguery. Never again. pic.twitter.com/ic3o652awn
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) August 19, 2018
In 1953, the United States helped orchestrate the overthrow of elected Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh, bringing back to power Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, who was later toppled in Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Zarif's statement comes three days after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the creation of the Iran Action Group, which will be responsible for "directing, reviewing and coordinating all aspects of the State Department’s Iran-related activity." Department of State Director of Policy Planning Brian Hook has been appointed to lead the group as Special Representative for Iran.
READ MORE: On the Hook: What Tehran Can Expect From Iran Action Group's Boss
According to Pompeo, the group will also seek to build an international coalition to counter Iran’s behavior.
Tensions between the US and Iran further increased in the wake of Washington's decision to withdraw from the historic 2015 nuclear deal in May, as well as their reimposition of sanctions on the Islamic Republic. The unilateral move has been opposed by other signatories to the agreement, who have pledged their commitment to the deal.
On August 7, the United States officially put into effect the first package of sanctions against Tehran, which target Iran's purchase of US dollar banknotes, trade in gold and other metals and transactions involving the national currency. The second package is set to be introduced on November 4 hitting, among other things, Iran's oil exports and energy sector.
