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John Kerry Denies Revealing Sensitive Information About Israeli Military Operations To Iran

U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry denied a claim made by Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, saying the former secretary of state discussed Israeli airstrikes in Syria with him. The New…

Savannah RychcikApr 27, 20213 min read

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State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters he would not comment on “purportedly leaked material” and could not “vouch for the authenticity of it or the accuracy of it.”

He also did not directly address whether Kerry made the statement to Zarif.

“I would just make the broad point that if you go back and look at press reporting from the time, this certainly was not secret,” Price said.

He added, “And governments that were involved were speaking to this publicly, on the record.”

Several Republicans tore into Kerry following the report.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) tweeted on Monday, “The allegations involving are deeply disturbing. If true, he must resign.”

Former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley called the revelation “disgusting on many levels.”

She continued, “Biden and Kerry have to answer for why Kerry would be tipping off Iran, the number one sponsor of terror, while stabbing one of our greatest partners, Israel, in the back.”

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said in an interview, “People are talking about treason — and I don’t throw that word around a lot. John Kerry does all kinds of things that I can’t stand. But this is the one that broke the camel’s back.”

Other Republicans stressed the importance of an investigation into the matter.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said, “I don’t know if we should trust that tape or not. If it’s true, it’s very damaging. I like John Kerry, but that would not be helpful and it would be very problematic if it were true. But let’s wait and see how authentic this is.”

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) suggested, “We have one recording by an Iranian official, but this is something that has to be evaluated and looked into.”