A lawmaker considered a recent motion passed by the European Parliament that advocates Iran-European Union ties after the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers as "positive".
Ardeshir Nourian also pointed to the high international status of the European Union to highlight the significance of the legislation.
"The European Parliament's resolution is assessed as a positive step. EU members are among major global players who have cohesion and convergence in their foreign policies. So their announced position can be of utmost importance," he said.
"It praises the historic nuclear accord as "a notable achievement for multilateral diplomacy, and for European diplomacy in particular, which should not only make a substantial improvement in EU-Iran relations possible, but also help promote stability across the whole region."
Under the pact, Iran received relief from international sanctions in return for scaling down its nuclear program.
Need for Practical Steps
Nourian said, "As our foreign policy seeks, among other things, to develop foreign relations, the EU resolution is worthy of assessment but has yet to be followed by practical steps."
The legislation welcomes openness in the EU's relations with Tehran and points out that the development of EU-Iran relations should advance hand in hand with the implementation of the nuclear agreement.
It "encourages a renewed relationship between the EU and its member states, and Iran, with both sides working closely on bilateral and multilateral issues to ensure a more stable region and effective implementation of the nuclear deal".
It supports the EU-Iran renewed engagement for "the mutual benefit" of both parties, based on a realistic assessment of common interests and differences, with a view to encouraging step-by-step expansion of cooperation in a climate of confidence-building, first and foremost for the benefit of the peoples of Iran and the EU.
Unacceptable Tone
The lawmaker, however, criticized the legislation's commanding tone in comments on issues that are not the bloc's business.
"The tone of the resolution on some issues is out of line with international norms. The EU has no right to tell Iran what to do or not to do. Do's and don'ts in the Islamic Republic are determined based on the constitution, the Leader's guidelines and national interests and goals. So, no other country is allowed to meddle in such affairs."
It urges more measures on the Iranian government to improve the human rights situation in the country and voices concern over Iran's ballistic missile tests.
"EU-Iran relations should be developed through multi-layered dialogue involving political, diplomatic, economic, academic, technical and people-to-people contacts that include civil society actors, NGOs and human rights defenders," the document says.
It "remains highly critical of Iran's frequent use of the death penalty [mostly for drug-related crimes] … [and] calls on the members of the Iranian Parliament as a first step to revise Article 91 of the 2013 penal code to abolish the death penalty for people under 18 years of age".
It also expresses concern at the development of Iran's ballistic missile tests, claiming that they are inconsistent with the spirit of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 but acknowledges that they do not constitute a breach of the nuclear deal. Resolution 2231 was adopted days after the announcement of the accord to endorse it.
