TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said that the “B-Team” dragged the U.S. out of the negotiating table and plotting for war.

Wanna know why those with proven record of detesting diplomacy are suddenly interested in talks?
Just read @AmbJohnBolton's 2017 recipe for destroying the #JCPOA: https://t.co/beCZByEaCT

Iran never left the negotiation table. #B_Team dragged the U.S. out, while plotting for war. pic.twitter.com/be3pKvoACq

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) June 25, 2019

“Iran never left the negotiation table. #B_Team dragged the U.S. out, while plotting for war,” he tweeted on Tuesday.

He also posted a link of an article wrote by U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton and said, “Wanna know why those with proven record of detesting diplomacy are suddenly interested in talks?
Just read @AmbJohnBolton’s 2017 recipe for destroying the #JCPOA.”

The B-Team includes Bolton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, and UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.

Zarif had previously warned that the B-Team could goad Trump into a war with Tehran.

In an article titled “How to get out of the Iran nuclear deal” published by National Review on August 28, 2017, Bolton presented a campaign plan to abrogate the deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“Early, quiet consultations with key players such as the U.K., France, Germany, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, to tell them we are going to abrogate the deal based on outright violations and other unacceptable Iranian behavior, and seek their input,” Bolton introduced as the first step.

As the second step, he said, “Prepare the documented strategic case for withdrawal through a detailed white paper (including declassified intelligence as appropriate) explaining why the deal is harmful to U.S. national interests, how Iran has violated it, and why Iran’s behavior more broadly has only worsened since the deal was agreed.”

“A greatly expanded diplomatic campaign should immediately follow the announcement, especially in Europe and the Middle East, and we should ensure continued emphasis on the Iran threat as a top diplomatic and strategic priority,” he added as the third step.

And as the last step of his plan, Bolton said, “Develop and execute Congressional and public diplomacy efforts to build domestic and foreign support.”

Elsewhere in his article he wrote, “Iran is not likely to seek further negotiations once the JCPOA is abrogated, but the Administration may wish to consider rhetorically leaving that possibility open in order to demonstrate Iran’s actual underlying intention to develop deliverable nuclear weapons, an intention that has never flagged.”

NA/PA