June 24 (Reuters) – Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, in a tweet after U.S. imposed new sanctions on Tehran, said hawkish politicians close to U.S. President Donald Trump were thirsty for war rather than diplomacy.
“@realDonaldTrump is 100% right that the US military has no business in the Persian Gulf. Removal of its forces is fully in line with interests of US and the world. But it’s now clear that the #B_Team is not concerned with US interests—they despise diplomacy, and thirst for war,” he tweeted.
Zarif has in the past said that a so-called “B-team” including Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton, an ardent Iran hawk, and conservative Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could goad Trump into a conflict with Tehran.
Trump targeted Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials with new U.S. sanctions on Monday. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Zarif will be placed under sanctions this week.
Content retrieved from: https://www.reuters.com/article/mideast-iran-usa-zarif/irans-zarif-says-b-team-wants-war-not-diplomacy-with-tehran-idUSL8N23V5S6.