Iran's FM summoned over stroll with Sec. Kerry
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) shakes hands on January 14, 2015, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Geneva. RICK WILKING/AFP/Getty Images
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has been summoned before parliament to explain his recent public stroll with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, according to a Sunday report by the country's official IRNA news agency.
On Jan. 14, on the sidelines of ongoing nuclear negotiations, Zarif took a 15-minute walk through the streets of Geneva with Kerry. Now, according to IRNA, 21 Iranian parliamentarians are demanding that Zarif explain his "diplomatic mistake."
Zarif is representing Iran in negotiations with the so-called "P5+1" global powers - the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.
Zarif and moderate President Hassan Rouhani have faced intense skepticism from Iranian hard-liners - who believe they are making too many concessions to the West in negotiations to limit the scope of Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the easing of crippling international economic sanctions.
Tehran and Washington broke diplomatic ties after Iran's 1979 revolution.
The nuclear talks have set off a series of controversial decisions in the U.S. too, with House Speaker John Boehner inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak about his concerns over them before the U.S. Congress. Boehner apparently did not consult with the White House before extending the invitation, making it likely the first time a foreign leader has been invited to speak before Congress without doing so.
On Sunday, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough attempted to downplay the announcement that President Obama would not be meeting with Netanyahu when he arrives to deliver the speech.
The Republican-controlled Congress has repeatedly threaten to levy additional sanctions on Iran before the talks conclude, despite numerous entreaties to not do so from both the White House and foreign leaders.
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Iran's FM summoned over stroll with Sec. Kerry