Iranian officials dismiss Kerry's nuclear remarks

TEHRAN - Iranian officials have downplayed the recent remarks by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Iran's nuclear program and threatened to target U.S. interests if the Islamic republic is attacked.

The remarks by Kerry are a violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham was quoted as saying by local media on Sunday.

"These remarks are undiplomatic" and have been made under the pressure of the opposition to Iran's recent nuclear deal with the world powers, Afkham was quoted as saying by Press TV.

On Friday, Kerry said if Iran does not intend to pursue nuclear weapons, it should prove this in practice and demonstrate that its nuclear program was peaceful.

"Iran must accept extensive verification, abandon plans to build a heavy-water reactor that can produce plutonium, and resolve longstanding concerns by the International Atomic Energy Agency," media quoted him as saying.

Also, Kerry said Thursday that the military option was still on the table if Iran did not live up to its nuclear commitments under the Geneva deal it signed with the six world powers in November.

In the meantime, Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) chief commander dismissed Saturday what he called US threat of military action against Tehran over its controversial nuclear program, Press TV reported.

Major General Mohammad-Ali Jafari called the threat "ridiculous " and said wise US politicians would not keep the option on the table, admonishing Kerry to stop repeating "bankrupt strategies such as the use of military power."

The interests of the United States in the region will be completely destroyed in case of any military attack against Iran, Press TV quoted another senior Iranian commander as saying on Saturday.

Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri, the deputy chief of the Staff of Iran's Armed Forces, said that the U.S. government knows that the military option against Iran is not practical.