A lawmaker called on officials to show restraint in the face of US hostile moves, which he said are aimed at imposing a regime change or a policy change on the Islamic Republic.
"The best and least costly solution against the US stance at the current juncture is to exercise restraint and officials should refrain from making comments that will likely fuel hostility toward Iran," Jalal Mirzaei also told ICANA on Monday.
A harsh turn was evident in Washington's Iran policy when US President Donald Trump took office in January.He has questioned the terms of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor Barack Obama, saying they are too lenient on Iran and failed to curb its missile development and regional influence, which issues are not part of the nuclear pact.
Officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the historic deal between Iran and major powers was concluded in July 2015 and went into force six months later.
Trump announced last month that he will no longer certify Iran's compliance, despite the UN nuclear agency's reports verifying Iran's full commitment. The US Congress is now facing a mid-December deadline to decide whether to reinstate sanctions.
Trump has threatened to "terminate" the UN-endorsed accord if the congress and Washington's European allies fail to come up with a practical way for amending the action plan to accommodate his concerns over Tehran's missile program and regional clout. He claims that Iran's missile development is aimed at producing nuclear-capable missiles without providing any evidence, an allegation Tehran strongly denies.
His administration has, on several occasions, used the missile and terrorism accusations as a pretext to tighten the screws on the Islamic Republic by introducing new sanctions, mainly targeting the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.
Broader Policy
Mirzaei said the toughened US approach is in line with Trump's broader policy of regime change.
"The US hostile position on Iran pursues two main purposes: behavior change and regime change," he said.
US officials have been outspoken about their anti-Iran subversive policy.
The policy of regime change was first publically raised by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson during a hearing before the House Foreign Relations Committee in June. Responding to a lawmaker's question about the US administration's Iran policy, Tillerson said, "The US policy toward Iran is ... to work toward support of those elements inside of Iran that would lead to a peaceful transition of that government. Those elements are there, certainly as we know."
A month later, US Defense Secretary James Mattis said regime change in Iran will be necessary, if there is to be a rapprochement.
Their remarks sparked angry retorts from the officials in Tehran.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a Twitter message that US officials would do well to "worry more about saving their own regime".
Deputy Chairman of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Massoud Jazayeri said Iran is unfazed by such comments from the Trump administration but vowed to respond with action.
"The ridiculous dreams of the Americans about overthrowing the Islamic Republic of Iran is nothing more than disturbed delusions and we are not worried that they have preoccupied themselves in such a way," Jazayeri said.
"We will respond to the nonsensical talks of American authorities in the fields of action," he added.
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