Sanchez Effect | Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's Deputy FM

Kazem Gharibabadi - Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs of Iran joins us straight from Tehran under the missile barrage - with the sound of drones audible throughout the conversation. The Iranian diplomat describes as a ‘heinous crime’ the assassination of the Supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He highlights it's not just a tragedy for Iran, but also for millions of Muslims around the world - which will trigger incidents similar to the shooting that took place in a Texas bar where a gunman killed at least two and wounded 14. Mr Gharibabadi mocks the Israeli and U.S. pretexts justifying the attack. For decades they claimed that Iran was about to obtain a nuclear bomb - which the Minister dismissed as 'Netanyahu’s fantasies', as Iran has always sought only a peaceful nuclear programme. 

The Deputy Foreign Minister also rejects the notion Iran is a threat to the U.S. - adding Tehran never threatened U.S. assets in the region, but was itself surrounded by U.S. military assets.