'Iran had no knowledge of October 7,' Zarif says at Davos

Iranian Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif also said that Iran was meant to meet with the US on October 9 over nuclear agreement talks.

By WALLA! JANUARY 22, 2025 17:40 Updated: JANUARY 22, 2025 17:46

Iran's Vice-President for Strategic Affairs Mohammed Javad Zarif speaks during the 55th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2025. (photo credit: REUTERS/YVES HERMAN)

Iran had no advanced knowledge of Hamas' plans to carry out the October 7 massacre, which disrupted plans to hold nuclear talks with US officials, according to Iranian Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif, during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos according to a report by Walla on Wednesday.

Iran "should have had a meeting with the Americans on October 9 about renewing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)," Zarif stated.

Hamas sabotaged Iran-U.S. nuclear talks, says Iran's Vice President for Strategic Affairs Javad Zarif:“We didn’t know about October 7. We were set to meet Americans on JCPOA renewal on October 9, but the operation destroyed it.” pic.twitter.com/Y8rMEJmvEg

— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 22, 2025

Zarif also denied the claim that Israel severely damaged Iran's air defense infrastructure, stating that "we suffered damage but did not lose all of our air defense capabilities," as reported by Walla.

He continued to discuss Iran's nuclear ambitions, stating that Iran could have produced nuclear weapons a long time ago if that were their aim. "Nuclear weapons are built in secret laboratories, not in a nuclear program like ours," Zarif added.

Keeping up the threat

According to Zarif, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposed the JCPOA deal to keep up an image of Iran as a perpetual nuclear threat, despite Zarif's claims that the JCPOA was an agreement to keep Iran away from nuclear weapons.

"Israel claims that we are days away from breaking through to nuclear weapons, so why did Netanyahu oppose the nuclear agreement that kept us away from nuclear weapons? Because he wants to frame Iran as a security threat, Zarif said.

Zarif also discussed President Donald Trump regaining office, wishing that he would be "more serious and realistic," and reminding that Iran's nuclear capability increased after Washington withdrew from JCPOA in 2018.

Zarif also stated that "Netanyahu did not achieve his goal of destroying Hamas" and that "the resistance did not die."