the Letter of US Senators

My grandma Ludwig used to say, "There's no fool like an old fool".
But what do we call a room full of 47 old fools?
An American embarrassment?
The Iranian Foreign Minister, Dr. Javad Zarif, rightfully seized upon
the opportunity to teach a basic lesson in international law.
Furthermore, if these 47 fools actually read his response, they would
have a glimpse of the embarrassment they have brought down on the
heads of all Americans. Their little smarty smart attempt to trash
our president has come back to show them for what they are,
self-serving traitors.

Carl Jarvis


On 3/10/15, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@optonline.net> wrote:
> the Letter of US Senators
>
> Asked about the open letter of 47 US Senators to Iranian leaders, the
> Iranian Foreign Minister, Dr. Javad Zarif, responded that "in our view,
> this
> letter has no legal value and is mostly a propaganda ploy. It is very
> interesting that while negotiations are still in progress and while no
> agreement has been reached, some political pressure groups are so afraid
> even of the prospect of an agreement that they resort to unconventional
> methods, unprecedented in diplomatic history. This indicates that like
> Netanyahu, who considers peace as an existential threat, some are opposed
> to
> any agreement, regardless of its content.
>
> Zarif expressed astonishment that some members of US Congress find it
> appropriate to write to leaders of another country against their own
> President and administration. He pointed out that from reading the open
> letter, it seems that the authors not only do not understand international
> law, but are not fully cognizant of the nuances of their own Constitution
> when it comes to presidential powers in the conduct of foreign policy.
>
> Foreign Minister Zarif added that "I should bring one important point to
> the
> attention of the authors and that is, the world is not the United States,
> and the conduct of inter-state relations is governed by international law,
> and not by US domestic law. The authors may not fully understand that in
> international law, governments represent the entirety of their respective
> states, are responsible for the conduct of foreign affairs, are required to
> fulfil the obligations they undertake with other states and may not invoke
> their internal law as justification for failure to perform their
> international obligations.
>
> The Iranian Foreign Minister added that "change of administration does not
> in any way relieve the next administration from international obligations
> undertaken by its predecessor in a possible agreement about Irans peaceful
> nuclear program." He continued "I wish to enlighten the authors that if the
> next administration revokes any agreement with the stroke of a pen, as they
> boast, it will have simply committed a blatant violation of international
> law.
>
> He emphasized that if the current negotiation with P5+1 result in a Joint
> Comprehensive Plan of Action, it will not be a bilateral agreement between
> Iran and the US, but rather one that will be concluded with the
> participation of five other countries, including all permanent members of
> the Security Council, and will also be endorsed by a Security Council
> resolution.
>
> Zarif expressed the hope that his comments "may enrich the knowledge of the
> authors to recognize that according to international law, Congress may not
> modify the terms of the agreement at any time as they claim, and if
> Congress
> adopts any measure to impede its implementation, it will have committed a
> material breach of US obligations.
>
> The Foreign Minister also informed the authors that majority of US
> international agreements in recent decades are in fact what the signatories
> describe as "mere executive agreements" and not treaties ratified by the
> Senate.
>
> He reminded them that "their letter in fact undermines the credibility of
> thousands of such mere executive agreements that have been or will be
> entered into by the US with various other governments.
>
> Zarif concluded by stating that "the Islamic Republic of Iran has entered
> these negotiations in good faith and with the political will to reach an
> agreement, and it is imperative for our counterparts to prove similar good
> faith and political will in order to make an agreement possible."
>
>
>
> http://en.mfa.ir/index.aspx?siteid=3&fkeyid=&siteid=3&fkeyid=&siteid=3&pagei
> d=1997&newsview=330948
>
>
>
>
>
> BREAKING: Iran's Foreign Minister responds to the letter from 47 Republican
> Senators
>
> Mar 09, 2015 3:20pm PDT by Eyesbright
>
> Comment_large309505
>
> This morning, my husband mentioned that he'd heard a discussion that
> included some conjecture on the possibility that Netanyahu's diatribe
> against a nuclear nonproliferation deal with Iran might actually push Iran
> closer to an agreement. That may prove prescient.
>
> Just now, I've come across the official response from Iran's foreign
> minister to the letter from 47 Republican senators (aka Netanyahu's fan
> club) that has immediately become infamous.
>
> Asked about the open letter of 47 US Senators to Iranian leaders, the
> Iranian Foreign Minister, Dr. Javad Zarif, responded that "in our view,
> this
> letter has no legal value and is mostly a propaganda ploy. It is very
> interesting that while negotiations are still in progress and while no
> agreement has been reached, some political pressure groups are so afraid
> even of the prospect of an agreement that they resort to unconventional
> methods, unprecedented in diplomatic history. This indicates that like
> Netanyahu, who considers peace as an existential threat, some are opposed
> to
> any agreement, regardless of its content.
>
> Zarif expressed astonishment that some members of US Congress find it
> appropriate to write to leaders of another country against their own
> President and administration. He pointed out that from reading the open
> letter, it seems that the authors not only do not understand international
> law, but are not fully cognizant of the nuances of their own Constitution
> when it comes to presidential powers in the conduct of foreign policy.
>
> I admit I felt quite a bit of schadenfreude as I read the words of this
> obviously intelligent and well read man lecturing these moronic Republicans
> about their own country's constitution and international law.
>
> The Iranian Foreign Minister added that "change of administration does not
> in any way relieve the next administration from international obligations
> undertaken by its predecessor in a possible agreement about Iran's peaceful
> nuclear program." He continued "I wish to enlighten the authors that if the
> next administration revokes any agreement with the stroke of a pen, as they
> boast, it will have simply committed a blatant violation of international
> law.
>
> He emphasized that if the current negotiation with P5+1 result in a Joint
> Comprehensive Plan of Action, it will not be a bilateral agreement between
> Iran and the US, but rather one that will be concluded with the
> participation of five other countries, including all permanent members of
> the Security Council, and will also be endorsed by a Security Council
> resolution.
>
> Zarif expressed the hope that his comments "may enrich the knowledge of the
> authors to recognize that according to international law, Congress may not
> modify the terms of the agreement at any time as they claim, and if
> Congress
> adopts any measure to impede its implementation, it will have committed a
> material breach of US obligations.
>
> The Foreign Minister also informed the authors that majority of US
> international agreements in recent decades are in fact what the signatories
> describe as "mere executive agreements" and not treaties ratified by the
> Senate.
>
> Here is the full text of the letter:
> Dr. Zarif's response to the letter of US senators
>
>
>
> http://m.dailykos.com/story/2015/03/09/1369700/-BREAKING-Iran-s-Foreign-Mini
> ster-responds-to-the-letter-from-47-Republican-Senators
>
>
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