Kerry claims not having met Iranian officials since leaving JCPOA

Tehran, Oct 7, IRNA- US former Secretary of State, whose meeting with Iran's foreign minister to discuss ways to save the Iran nuclear deal drew the ire of the Trump administration, said on Sunday he has not met any Iranian officials since Washington left the deal. In an interview with CNN, John Kerry said although he was at odds with Washington's abandonment of the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), he has not met with any Iranians since President Donald Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal. Kerry also noted, by withdrawing the landmark accord, the United States has missed a perfect opportunity and has endangered the country's interests. 'So we could have leveraged better outcomes,' Kerry said. 'But by just pulling out and angering everybody, I don't think it serves the best interests of our country,' he added. During a radio interview earlier, Kerry had said since leaving office, he had met with Iran's foreign minister 'three of four times' to discuss Iran's nuclear program and all that jazz. Kerry's remarks provoked controversy in US media and angered the Republicans and the Trump administration. The US President, Donald Trump, described as 'illegal' Kerry's action. He also claimed Kerry has told Zarif 'to wait out this administration'. Current US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, also accused Kerry of undermining Washington's policies toward Iran and called the visits 'inappropriate and unprecedented'. Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammd Javad Zarif confirmed the meetings at Munich Security Conference, saying, the topic of the meetings was mostly US President's policies on the JCPOA and how to react to his policies so as to isolate him both in the United States and around the world. Trump announced early in May Washington would leave the landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, re-imposing unilateral sanctions against the country, a move which drew strong condemnation on national and international levels. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish