i had a chance to talk this week with iran's foreign minister, javad zarif.censed of america's treatment of his nation but i started out asking him about iran's recent execution of a local sports hero. foreign minister, welcome. >> good morning to you and to our friends joining us. good to be with you, fareed. >> foreign minister, the first thing i do have to ask you about is a topic that has raised an enormous amount of international outcry, which is the execution of the 27-year-old wrestler, navid afkari. a 27-year-old young man who was engaged in protests against the government two years ago in shiraz. he was executed, he was hanged. and as you know, this occasioned protests far and wide, well beyond the usual places. the united states condemned it, the european union did, u.n. human rights did, the international olympic committee, the world players association. many of them saying this was really an extraordinarily brutal act. i want you to respond to the international outcry against this execution. >> well, thank you for asking that question. and moving

meananwhile, nhkasas learn e ed iriranian foreigign minister mohammad javad zarif plans to make an official visit to europe as early as next week. seven countries are currently on his itinerary including britain, france, germany, italy and spain. the move is likely aimed at discouraging key european countries from agreeing with the united states to restore u.n. sanctions on iran. two years ago, the u.s. unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal struck between iran and the five permanent members of the un security washington has been reimposing sanctions against the country since then. the u.s. says u.n. sanctions will be restored on september 20th undnder the terms of the 25 deal, but most security council members say washington's demand is invalid because it withdrew from the deal. >>> representatives of the group of seven nations and the european union have condemned what they call the confirmed poisoning of a russian opposition leader. they say their disapproval of the attack on alexei navalny warrants the strongest possible terms. a joint statement issued on tuesday calls the use

sanctions imposed last year in an interview to the part mohammad javad zarif also spoke of u.s. pressure on his country the full interview as this sunday. certainly the sanctions and economic hardship that the united states imposed on iran has had a significant impact we have quite a bit of money stashed in countries abroad and those countries are prevented by the united states from even allowing us to buy medicine with our own money whatever the americans are saying about their sanctions not affecting a humanitarian items is just like the united states restrictions prevent us from even transferring money to to buy vaccines so it's basically medical terrorism that the u.s. is engaged. 13 members 13 of the 15 security council members quites wrote letters to the president of the security council once on the 20th of august when the united states should that so-called no to be caged in and once on the 20th of september when the united states claimed that is supported the u.n. sanctions have come back rejecting it and that's what's important and that's a major diplomatic defeat for t

these swore in and tired i'm 18 well to discuss that i'm now joined by iran's foreign minister javad zarifminister is such a pleasure to see you in moscow especially in person good to see you again you know you are one of the 1st and very few dignitaries who are flying into moscow they and i want to start by asking how it has this been demi change the workings of diplomacy and you guys have conversations like most of us or is it not particularly safe to exchange information this way. we have to do that just this morning i participated in the meeting of the conference on the introduction of cooperation in asia a confidence building in asia. by video conference and some 20 more foreign ministers were participating in that conference and as you pointed out in your introductory statement. this despite a studs and recognize ritual poor weak or strong or enemies it's affecting all of us.

so war and i'm tired i'm 18 well to discuss that i'm now joined by iran's foreign minister javad zarif minister it's such a pleasure to see you in moscow especially in person good to see you again you know if you are one of the 1st and very few dignitaries who are flying into moscow they and i want to start you by asking how it has this been demick change the workings of diplomacy and you guys have some conversations like most of us or is it not particularly safe to exchange information this way well actually we have to do that and just this morning i participated in the meeting of the conference on interaction and cooperation in asia a confidence building in asia. video conference. some 20 more foreign ministers were participating in that conference and as you pointed out in your introductory statement. this despite us doesn't recognize ritual for the core strong or enemies it's affecting all of us and it shows that we need to come together in order to fight despite us unfortunately the united states. continues to prevent iran even from buying medicine and vaccine to buy just buy will

ships on the seas and foreign minister javad zarif was speaking last night and he said that there would be a firm response to any piracy u.s. piracy on the high seas now we have to talk about where iran is a place strategically the strait of hormuz where 20 percent of the world's world passes through and then and its narrowest point between iran and oman is around 39 kilometers the shipping lanes even narrower and and history does tell us even just last year when an iranian ship was seized off the coast of gibraltar by british authorities iran responded by seizing a british flag tanker so when iran says that they will respond history does tell us that they are likely to do so and there is a military buildup in the region and it does tend tend to be that could be a possibility of a military miscalculation but also iran is looking forward to that october the 18th deadline where the arms embargo runs out on iran and the united states try to extend the arms embargo and successfully and iran yes stage of odds are that they don't do any trade with europe in terms of arms they're looking to fr

iran had blocked access to those sites but after a few days here meeting with foreign minister javad zarif and president hassan rouhani iran did allow inspections of those sites and this is a day after the united states has announced that the u.n. sanctions are back in place and if the united states was looking for support or something different from the well definitely not getting it. is concerned iran is complying and for diplomacy is the way forward and it's important to know that the i.a.e.a. already has access to iran's nuclear sites as declared nuclear facilities as 247 on line monitoring so again the united states is a bit later that the united nations and the is actually think that we need to have diplomacy and raphael grossly visited iran that's the message that came out and iran isn't blocking anything they may be in breach of the 2015 nuclear deal in terms of some of its conditions however in terms of access to those sites well iran's not blocking bills ok let's talk about search for a minute or so these comments in this national address today from the supreme leader ayatollah a