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Hard-line media in Iran have launched a campaign against the top US nuclear negotiator,聽keying on聽her聽comment weeks ago聽that 鈥渄eception is part of the DNA,鈥� to portray America as an untrustworthy adversary in nuclear talks.

The effort to target Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman, who has led the US team during聽six negotiating rounds between Iran and world powers since early 2012, has been picked up by聽some Iranian聽lawmakers as an 鈥渋nsult鈥� that 鈥渁dds another brick to the wall of mistrust.鈥澛�

The campaign comes聽amid a broader attack by Iranian hardliners who accuse the new negotiating team under the relatively moderate President Hassan Rouhani of readiness to聽make聽too many nuclear concessions to聽bring about an聽easing of crippling sanctions.聽

鈥淪anction the negotiations with Sherman,鈥� the hard-line Kayhan newspaper emblazoned across its front page this morning, under the聽heading聽鈥淜ayhan鈥檚 suggestion to the country鈥檚 nuclear negotiation team.鈥� Kayhan鈥檚聽editor is an official 鈥渞epresentative鈥� of Iran鈥檚 Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who earlier this month said Iran was 鈥減essimistic about the Americans. We do not at all trust them.鈥�

The聽fusillade against Ms. Sherman began two days ago, when the semi-official Fars News Agency 鈥� which is connected to Iran鈥檚 Revolutionary Guard 鈥� published a lengthy interpretation of the US diplomat鈥檚 comments made Oct. 3 in Washington.

The Fars headline described Sherman as a 鈥渟ymbol of anti-Iranian thinking,鈥� and asked, 鈥淐an a person who identifies deception as part of Iranian DNA be trusted?鈥�

The Fars article,聽based on聽nine聽words spoken by Sherman聽during lengthy testimony to the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee,聽was republished by at least 30 hard-line websites, most of them small, many聽of them聽in Iran鈥檚 provinces.聽

In Washington, when Sherman was asked then about Mr. Rouhani鈥檚 use of 鈥渘egotiations as a stalling tactic鈥� to advance Iran鈥檚 nuclear program as Iran鈥檚 chief nuclear negotiator a decade ago, she replied that that history meant 鈥渨e know that deception is part of the DNA.鈥�

Sherman later told senators: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 trust the people who sit across the table from me in these negotiations.鈥澛�

Careful timing

For nearly three weeks, Iranian media virtually ignored Sherman鈥檚 comments. Fars has chosen聽to highlight them as Iran鈥檚 US-educated Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his negotiating team聽come聽under fire from hard-line factions that fear聽that the secrecy surrounding the nuclear talks indicates聽that the outcome will be聽bad for Iran.

Both US and Iranian officials聽gave positive assessments of nuclear talks last week in Geneva,聽but details of the proposals have been kept under wraps.聽Negotiations will resume on聽Nov. 7, and Mr. Rouhani has said he wants a deal sealed in three to six months.

Senior Iranian officials clarified yesterday that Ayatollah Khamenei is aware of all aspects of the nuclear talks, and of Iran鈥檚 new proposal presented in Geneva.聽

Those talks are the first real test of improving US-Iran rhetoric from both sides not seen since a generation of mutual hostility began with Iran鈥檚 1979 Islamic revolution. President Obama has expressed openness to better ties based on 鈥渕utual interests and mutual respect;鈥� Rouhani said both could 鈥渕anage our differences.鈥澛�An Obama-Rouhani phone call in late September聽was an unprecedented step forward.

Marie Harf, the US State Department deputy spokesperson, was asked in a press briefing Tuesday if Sherman's comment "was not meant to imply that President Rouhani is genetically incapable of telling the truth."

"In no way," Ms. Harf replied. "We've been very clear that we appreciate鈥� many of the things President Rouhani has said, that we appreciate the tone coming out of him and the rest of the Iranian delegation to the P5+1 [designation of six world powers at nuclear talks], and hope to continue that tone going forward."

Media assault

In its complaint against Sherman, Fars News evoked Persian history and pride: 鈥淪ince Iran is not a 300-year-old country and has thousands of years of civilization and history in its collective memory鈥� it would be useful to remind Ms. Sherman and the ones ranking above her some points.鈥�

Dismissing any 鈥渆xpertise in聽biology鈥� by Sherman, Fars asked with 鈥渨hich scientific evidence, she is insulting the Iranian nation? Is it not the same nation that the US president tried to befriend in his [Persian New Year] message?鈥�

Fars described Sherman鈥檚 remarks as 鈥渙ffensive,鈥� based on 鈥渨rong assumptions,鈥� and asked its own diplomats to be wary. 鈥淚f one day the United States government really intends to rectify this mistrust, it should not be through insults,鈥澛� Fars wrote.

The article set off a chain reaction in the media and among politicians. Siamak Marreh Sedq, the lawmaker who represents Iran's Jewish community, was quoted by Fars as saying Sherman was an "unwise person and her remarks are far from logic and reason."

The wall of mistrust 鈥渨ill not be demolished聽easily,鈥� and US officials 鈥渨ith such insulting comments鈥�will only make the wall of mistrust thicker and thicker,鈥� said Mohammad Hassan Asafari, a聽hardline聽member of parliament鈥檚 National Security聽Commission, according to the Tasnim News Agency.

A cartoon by hard-line Mashregh News website depicted a microscope with 鈥淪herman鈥檚 DNA鈥� on the slide, which included 鈥渂its of glass鈥� and sand 鈥撀爎eferences in Persian to looking for trouble in a naughty way, and of deceitfully developing wicked plans 鈥� and even mouse droppings.

Battling a position on the sidelines

Conservatives and hardliners have been smarting since their resounding defeat to the centrist Rouhani in elections last June. Despite Khamenei鈥檚 orders for all to support the new government, hard-line attacks have been growing.

In recent days, large banners have appeared over roadways in Tehran, purporting to show the American "style" of honesty. One depicts a US-Iran negotiating table, with the US negotiator wearing a pair of camouflaged military trousers 鈥� a hint that military action or regime change is the true American intent. Another shows an attack dog on the US side of the table, ready to spring into action.聽

The DNA controversy prompted a counter attack Wednesday by the reformist Shargh newspaper, which was widely republished inside Iran 鈥� even by Iran鈥檚 state-run IRNA news agency. It suggested that Sherman had been mistranslated and was not referring explicitly to 鈥淚ranian鈥� DNA in her Senate testimony.

鈥淢istranslation in the world of politics and diplomacy can bring about a lot of problems,鈥澛� Shargh noted. It was only 鈥渞umor鈥� that Sherman said 鈥渄eception is part of Iranian DNA,鈥� and in fact 鈥淪herman has not mentioned Iran and Iranians in her comment,鈥澛燬hargh asserted, in a very generous interpretation of Sherman's testimony.聽

The moderate conservative Mehr News Agency asked about the Sherman comments in an interview with Alan Eyre, a Persian-language State Department spokesman, who is part of the US nuclear negotiating team that Sherman heads.

鈥淒oubtless, each side has said things that have offended the other side over the course of the last 30 years, and each side has commented publicly on its inability to trust the other side,鈥澛燤r. Eyre told Mehr, echoing Harf's comments from Washington.聽鈥淏ut focusing on that which divides us won鈥檛 get us anywhere.鈥�