Credible people give credit where credit is due and we must tip our caps to the Iranians for a clever response to having half a ton of documents stolen from a facility in Tehran. Their response was to announce the relocation of their embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

SCOOP! Iran announces it will move its embassy to Jerusalem. Asked why, FM Javad Zarif responded “because our paperwork is already there.” (Making the rounds)

— Noga Tarnopolsky (@NTarnopolsky) May 1, 2018

When Foreign Minister Javad Zarif was asked why Iran would be moving their embassy to Jerusalem Zarif replied, “because our paperwork is already there.” That is probably the most clever way anyone has ever confirmed news that made them look awful and vulnerable. What Zarif did was confirm that the Israelis had gotten to them in the heart of Tehran.

Zarif confirmed what Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was saying at his press conference yesterday. The other joke, of course, is that Iran doesn’t have an embassy in Israel nor do the Israelis have an embassy in Iran. Iran’s entire foreign policy strategy for 39 years has been to destroy Israel.

While Zarif has earned cool-points for cleverness he is still representing a country that is the single most destabilizing element in the Middle East. Israel is not going to tolerate a sustained or continued Iranian military presence in Syria and much to Iran’s chagrin that has nothing to do with the Iran deal or where America’s embassy is in Israel.

But seriously, Zarif, thanks for the laugh.