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Call for Active Foreign Policy to Counter American Hostility

The Iranian government's engagement in closer interaction with other parties to the 2015 nuclear deal would compel the US administration to abandon its hostile approach toward the pact over fears of further isolation, a lawmaker said.

"If Iran's diplomatic apparatus steps up cooperation with other parties to JCPOA, fears of isolation would drive the US toward [fully] implementing the action plan," Hadi Bahadori also said in a Friday talk with ICANA.

He was using an abbreviation that stands for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the official title of the pact.

The parliamentarian cited the mounting domestic and foreign pressures facing beleaguered US President Donald Trump.

"Trump made some promises against JCPOA during his electoral campaign last year. Those promises are impossible to implement, given the US domestic political situation and the global economic atmosphere," Bahadori said.

The pact was negotiated under Trump's predecessor Barack Obama to give the Islamic Republic sanctions relief in return for temporary restrictions on its nuclear activities.

Trump's administration has adopted a hawkish line on Iran since assuming office in January and seeks to police the deal more strictly.

He fell short of an election pledge to tear up the action plan but has vowed to "police that contract so tough they [the Iranians] don't have a chance".

Trump's administration is working to fix what his aides have called "serious flaws" in the landmark deal that they say—if not resolved quickly—will likely lead Trump to pull out.

Many US statesmen have urged Trump to stick to the pact and have warned about the potential setbacks to American national interests and international image if he chooses to do otherwise. He reluctantly certified to Congress Tehran's commitment to the pact in July after repeated appeals from the senior members of his Cabinet. Such certification is required every three months.

Trump appears bent on finding excuses to declare Tehran in violation at the next review in October and has ordered a broader White House revision of Iran policy, expected to conclude in August.

In the latest sign of stepped-up US hostility toward Iran under Trump, the Republican hawk signed into law fresh sanctions against Tehran over its ballistic missile program and alleged support for terrorism and violation of human rights. Trump's anti-Iran moves and deal-bashing rhetoric, however, have been frowned upon by other signatories to the historic agreement, namely France, Britain, China, Russia and Germany.

They have praised Tehran's compliance with the pact and have made clear on several occasions that they want to see the international agreement through.