Iranian official on nuke deal: 'We did not agree to dismantle anything'

By Tom Cohen, CNNJanuary 23, 2014 -- Updated 1111 GMT (1911 HKT) STORY HIGHLIGHTSCNN Exclusive: Iranian official says the White House mischaracterizes nuclear deal "You don't need to overemphasize it," Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tells CNN The nuclear agreement took effect on Monday It calls for Iran to freeze part of its nuclear program in exchange for eased sanctions Watch CNN's full interview with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Sunday at 10 a.m. on "Fareed Zakaria GPS"

(CNN) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif insisted Wednesday that the Obama administration mischaracterizes concessions by his side in the six-month nuclear deal with Iran, telling CNN in an exclusive interview that "we did not agree to dismantle anything."

Zarif told CNN Chief National Security Correspondent Jim Sciutto that terminology used by the White House to describe the agreement differed from the text agreed to by Iran and the other countries in the talks -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany.

"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.

As part of the accord, Iran was required to dilute its stockpile of uranium that had been enriched to 20%, well above the 5% level needed for power generation but still below the level for developing a nuclear weapon.

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