Who is Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who said John Kerry told him of Israeli operations?

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has sparked outrage at U.S. climate envoy John Kerry over a claim that Kerry gave him information about Israeli military strikes. But he has a history of incendiary remarks, even as he sometimes also assumes the role of a moderate negotiator.

During that time, Zarif was reportedly instrumental in drafting a roadmap for a "grand bargain" with the U.S. meant to improve ties between the two countries. It never became a reality, but Zarif would later engage in negotiations with the U.S. and other nations as foreign minister, when Kerry – as secretary of state in the Obama administration – helped craft the Iranian nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Despite his diplomatic history, however, Zarif has not been afraid to issue threatening statements. In 2020, following the announcement of the historic Abraham Accords peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Zarif called the agreement a painful betrayal of Arab and other countries in the region.