PHOTO: US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday

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Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has denounced President Obama’s intervention on Monday in US-Iran nuclear talks as unacceptable.

Obama said — in line with recent leaks about proposals in the pursuit of a comprehensive deal before a July 1 deadline — that Iran must commit to a verifiable freeze of at least 10 years on its nuclear program. However, he said that, even with this condition, the odds are against a final agreement.

The President’s comments came a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has denounced the talks between Iran and the 5+1 Powers (US, Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia) addresses the US Congress. Perhaps more importantly, they came as Zarif has been in negotiations with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Montreux in Switzerland.

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“It is clear that Mr. Obama’s comments are meant to win the US public opinion and counter the propaganda campaign by the Israeli Prime Minister and that of other radical parties opposed to the negotiations,” Zarif told reporters on Tuesday, before the second day of discussions with Kerry.

While leaks by Western officials last weekend indicate that Iran has made concessions over the number and level of its uranium centrifuges and the duration of an agreement, Tehran is continuing to insist on the quick lifting of US-led sanctions after a deal.

Zarif said today, “The remarks by Mr. Obama clearly point to the fact that the US, which has over the past decades, either directly or indirectly threatened the Islamic Republic of Iran and imposed many cruel and illegal sanctions, has come to the conclusion that the policy of threats and sanctions is a failed policy.”

The head of the Basij militia, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, spoke more harshly at a conference in southern Iran, “The enemies should know that the Iranian nation will not accept any imposed deal which questions its honor and dignity and doesn’t remove all sanctions.”

The commander said Iran could defeat the US in any war, as the US military is made up of drug traffickers and criminals: “A country, which cannot recruit a group of forces who love defending the US, shouldn’t brag.”

Iran Mourns 7 Afghans, Including Commander, Killed in Syria

A memorial service was held on Tuesday in Mashhad in Iran for seven Afghans killed fighting alongside President Assad’s forces in Syria.

Among the dead was the commander of the Afghan volunteer Fatemiyoun Brigade, Alireza Tavassoli, who was killed in Daraa Province in southern Syria on Saturday.

Iranian authorities have recruited Afghan refugees to fight in Syria, given them a reported $500 a month and residency

Rebels say numerous Iranian and Afghan fighters, as well as Hezbollah members, have been killed in recent Syrian offensives in the northwest and south of the country.

Judiciary Reiterates Ban on Media Coverage of Former President Khatami

Iran Prosecutor Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei has reiterated the judiciary’s ban on news and photographs of former reformist President Mohammad Khatami.

Last week, the Jamaran and Bahar News websites were blocked briefly after posting articles with images of Khatami. The ban was lifted after the articles were removed.

Ejei said those outlets which have signed commitments not to repeat violations have been allowed to resume their activities. He warned, “The judicial order remains in force until it is officially rescinded, and if the media outlet violates this order, it will have to deal with the consequences.”

Detained Journalist Rezaian Given Lawyer After 7 Months — But Not His Own Attorney

Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post’s Tehran correspondent who has been detained since late July, has finally been granted access to a lawyer — but not the one his family chose to represent him.

Rezaian was imprisoned, along with his wife and fellow journalist Yeganeh Salehi and two American photojournalists, after security forces raided his home in Tehran. The photojournalists were soon released. Salehi was granted bail in October and warned to stop working.

Rezaian was charged in January, but the nature of the allegations has not been made public. The case has been assigned to hardline Judge Abolghassem Salavati.

Rezaian’s family said in a statement that their choice of legal representation had been denied: “For nearly a month our family’s chosen attorney Masoud Shafii has worked tirelessly under pressure from the judiciary to be assigned as Jason’s attorney. It is clear that despite his best efforts Mr Shafii will not be permitted to represent Jason.”

Shafii is experienced in handling national security cases and helped win the release of two American hikers arrested along the Iran-Iraq border in July 2009 and imprisoned as spies.

The family said Leila Ahsan, who represented Salehi, has been appointed as Rezaian’s lead attorney.

Foreign Ministry Repeats: US Is Supporting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria

The Foreign Ministry has repeated the ongoing Iranian claim that the US, despite bombing the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, is actually supporting the jihadists.

Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told a conference in Tehran on Monday, “The US military planes supply the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria with foodstuff and arms in the regions where the Islamic State is on the verge of losing control.”

Amir Abdollahian said Washington’s intervention against the Islamic State in the two countries was merely to ensure that Washington controlled the jihadists, “The US has created the anti-Islamic State coalition with the participation of 60 countries, but the coalition’s main practical measure is confined to controlling and administering the Islamic State.”

The Deputy Foreign Minister’s statement came as Iraqi forces and Iranian-supported Shia militia launched an offensive to reclaim Tikrit, the city in northern Iraq taken by the Islamic State in its rapid advance through the country last June.