White House condemns Zarif's visit to gravesite of Hezbollah leader

White House press secretary Jay Carney on Wednesday condemned the visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to the gravesite of Hezbollah leader Imad Mugniyah, who had been involved in terrorist attacks against Americans. "The inhumane violence that Mugniyah perpetrated, and that Lebanese Hezbollah continues to perpetrate in the region, with Iran's financial and material support, has had profoundly destabilizing and deadly effects for Lebanon and the region, and the decision to commemorate an individual who has participated in such vicious acts, whose organization continues to actively support terrorism worldwide, sends the wrong message and will only exacerbate tensions in the region," Carney said during a briefing aboard Air Force One as President Barack Obama flew to Raleigh, North Carolina. Carney said the United States is addressing the Iranian nuclear issue through the process with the Permanent Five members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P Five plus One). "There are a host of vital national security issues at stake here," he said "Even as we pursue that, and do it in a way that demands transparency and verifiability from the Iranians, wo do not let up in our views and positions when it comes to other activities, including the support of terrorist organizations that Iran engages in," Carney said. Carney repeated U.S. concern with reports of a Russian-Iranian oil-for-goods swap, saying, "If the deal moves forward, it would raise serious concerns, as it would be inconsistent with the terms of the P Five plus One agreement with Iran and potentially trigger U.S. sanctions against the entities and individuals involved in any such transactions."