During the Wednesday exclusive interview with CNN, Zarif said the Obama administration mischaracterizes concessions by his side in the six-month nuclear deal with Iran, stressing “we did not agree to dismantle anything.”

“The White House version both underplays the concessions and overplays Iranian commitments under the agreement that took effect Monday,” Zarif said in Davos, Switzerland, where he was attending the World Economic Forum.

Zarif reiterated that the Obama administration is creating a false impression with such language.

He told CNN Chief National Security Correspondent Jim Sciutto, “The White House tries to portray it as basically a dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program. That is the word they use time and again.”

He then urged Sciutto to read the actual text of the agreement. “If you find a single, a single word, that even closely resembles dismantling or could be defined as dismantling in the entire text, then I would take back my comment.”

He repeated that “we are not dismantling any centrifuges, we’re not dismantling any equipment, we’re simply not producing, not enriching over 5%. You don’t need to over-emphasize it.”

"All of us are facing difficulties and oppositions and concerns and misgivings," he said, noting he had been summoned Wednesday to Iran’s parliament to answer questions.

Asked about his talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Zarif called it "very difficult because we’re both going into these negotiations with a lot of baggage.''

“Progress has been made,” he said, “but it’s yet too early to talk about trust.”

The P5+1 and Iran struck a historic deal on Tehran’s nuclear program at talks in Geneva in November 2013. Under the interim agreement, Tehran will be allowed access to $4.2 billion in funds frozen as part of the financial sanctions imposed on Iran.  For its part, Iran promised to curb the level of enriching uranium to 5 percent.

NTJ/NJF