Velayati Says Response to US Bill Will Be Appropriate

A senior foreign policy advisor to the Leader of Islamic Revolution said Iran is preparing a proportionate response to the sanctions legislation recently passed by the US Senate.

"The JCPOA oversight committee will definitely review the issue to provide an appropriate response to the new US [congress'] sanctions [bill]," Ali Akbar Velayati, who is also a member of the committee, was quoted by Mashregh News as saying on Friday.

JCPOA stands for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the official title of the 2015 nuclear agreement with major powers, under which Iran accepted temporary restrictions on its nuclear program in return for relief from intrnational sanctions.

The bill, which passed on a vote of 98-2 on Thursday, also includes new sanctions on Russia.

To become law, the measure would have to clear the Republican-led House of Representatives and be signed by President Donald Trump.

It would impose new sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missile development, arms transfers, support for resistance groups and alleged human rights violations.

***Majlis Vows Action

Spokesperson for the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Hossein Naqavi Hosseini told Tasnim News Agency that the commission will convene soon to discuss the senate measure.

"Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has tasked the commission with drafting a bill to effectively confront the UC Congress' moves."

The lawmaker said the senate's bill is a "blatant violation" of articles 26 and 29 of the nuclear accord.

Article 26 calls on the United States to "make best efforts in good faith to sustain this JCPOA and prevent interference with the realization of the full benefit by Iran of the sanctions lifting."

Article 29 says, "The EU and its member states and the United States, consistent with their respective laws, will refrain from any policy specifically intended to directly and adversely affect the normalization of trade and economic relations with Iran inconsistent with their commitments not to undermine the successful implementation of this JCPOA."

While boosting sanctions against Moscow, the legislation would set up a review process requiring President Donald Trump to get congress' approval before taking any action to ease, suspend or lift any sanctions on Russia, Reuters reported.

Trump was especially effusive about Russian President Vladimir Putin during the 2016 US election campaign.