A lawmaker said last week’s sanctions approved by the US House of Representatives against Iran aim to undermine Iran’s regional clout, noting that the US seems to be avoiding “any hard and violent challenge with Iran.” Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh added that Iran’s military assets, including ballistic missiles and its influential overseas military forces, are main factors leading to a “formidable strategic defense capability” that the US is apparently unwilling to challenge, ICANA reported on Saturday. The House passed legislation on Thursday to expand sanctions on Iran for its ballistic missile development, weeks after US President Donald Trump declined to certify that Tehran is complying with the 2015 Iran nuclear accord. It was approved 423-2. “[Indicating the resolve] to undermine Iran’s self-sufficiency and defensive capability is the main message conveyed by congress’ [measure],” he said, adding that the only option available to the US to achieve its objective is to impose sanctions under “false pretexts”.
