Lawmakers say renewed efforts in the US Congress to slap new sanctions on Iran are aimed at mounting pressure on the country to stop supporting its allies in the region, emphasizing that Tehran will stick to its declared policies unperturbed.
On May 25, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed legislation to impose new sanctions on Iran over what it called its human rights violations, ballistic missile development and sponsoring terrorism. The bill is to be considered by the full Senate this week.
In a recent talk with ICANA, Ardeshir Nourian, a member of Majlis National Security and Foreign Affairs Commission, described the bill as yet another sign of the Trump administration's animosity toward the Iranian nation, noting that the Americans "have always tried to hinder Iran's constructive role in the region."
Drawing a comparison between the current and former US administrations, he said, "They have all sought to damage Iran's interests, even after the implementation of JCPOA." A move he believed is in line with the uncompromising US measures to pile pressure on Tehran.
He was referring to the official title of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal with world powers, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Iran's moves to fight terror in the region have the support of many countries, the MP noted, saying that "imposition of sanctions under the pretext of [Iran's] helping Syria, Iraq and other countries is totally unfounded and unacceptable."
"Iran has been the flag-bearer of peace and stability in the region and has always been harmed by terrorists," he said.
This measure (new sanctions), if it becomes law, runs counter to both the spirit and letter of the nuclear agreement, and can have negative impacts on Iran's commercial and economic relations, he warned.
Plot to Undermine Iran Trade
Another lawmaker Mohammad Javad Jamali said the senate bill aims to isolate Iran and stymie its economic and trade relations with the international community after the historic nuclear agreement.
Reprimanding American rulers for their double standards in dealing with Saudi Arabia, he said, "By signing [a multi-billion dollar] arms deal with the Saudis, the US president demonstrated that he overtly supports terrorism and is against global peace."
Iran dismisses the Saudi-led anti-terror claims as a sham and maintains that Riyadh's support for armed groups has fueled militancy and extremism in the region.
All they (US, Saudis and their allies) want is to add pressure on Tehran so that they can "undermine the resistance front [a reference to Iran and its regional allies]," he said, calling the moves a political stunt rather than effective policy.
Describing Iran as the key to solving problems in the region, he said, "we stopped the terrorists from growing more powerful and the regional countries from disintegrating.
"Indeed it is Iran which is a stabilizing factor in the region," he said, inviting other countries to join the campaign to uproot terrorism in this part of the world.
Iran supports the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria with military advisors, arms and diplomatic and financial support in its fight against militants.
About half a million people have been killed in Syria's six-year civil strife, which has dragged in regional and world powers and caused the biggest refugee crisis since World War Two.
