A senior lawmaker raised the need to boost relations with Russia and China, the main rivals of the US, after its president Donald Trump named a new national security adviser particularly known for his hardline views on Iran.
Trump has picked former US ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, to replace H.R. McMaster as his national security adviser.
Announcing the switch in a tweet on March 22, Trump wrote he was "thankful for the service of General H.R. McMaster who has done an outstanding job & will remain my friend."
The departure of McMaster was not entirely unexpected as he was at odds with Trump over some major policy issues, including Iran.
Setback to Nuclear Deal
Some commentators see Bolton's nomination as another major setback to the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, negotiated under Trump's predecessor Barack Obama.
Commenting on Trump's decision, Chairman of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi said, "The Americans intend to harden their policy against the Islamic Republic and we should respond by strengthening our view toward the East, especially China and Russia."
Bolton's nomination came days after Trump announced a decision to recruit another Iran-hawk Mike Pompeo to replace Rex Tillerson as secretary of state.
"The use of hardline anti-Iran elements indicates that the Americans are looking to increase pressure on Iran… China and Russia are the important and influential permanent members of the United Nations and the strengthening of our relations with them can help reduce or nullify the US pressures," IRNA quoted Boroujerdi as saying a day after Trump's tweet.
The landmark nuclear pact scaled back Tehran's nuclear development in return for the easing of international sanctions.
Trump has repeatedly attacked the deal and has threatened to avoid signing the waivers of Iran sanctions in May unless Iran is subjected to tougher nuclear terms and new curbs on its missile and regional activities, which he claims are destabilizing. Iran rejects Trump's allegation and demands.
Shameful
Another senior Iranian official described Bolton's nomination as "shameful", citing his ties with the anti-Iran Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization terror group.
Bolton has been a supporter of the MKO and has spoken at the group's events.
"For a seemingly superpower country, it is shameful that its national security official would be receiving a salary from a terrorist sect," said Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Reuters reported.
The notorious group is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks against Iranian civilians and government officials over the past four decades and is estimated to have killed over 12,000 people.
It sided with former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in the 1980-88 Iraq-imposed war against Iran and aided and abetted his brutal crackdown on his opponents.
After the collapse of Saddam's regime in 2003, the Iraqi government designated the MKO a terrorist group.
The group has also been held responsible for the murder of multiple American military personnel and the attempted kidnapping of a US Ambassador and was on the US and EU lists of terrorist organizations until 2012 and 2009, respectively.
In a speech at an opposition group event near Paris in July, Bolton expressed hope that Iran's government would be toppled "by 2019".
