New Majlis Vows Tough Line on US Ties

The recently-elected speaker of the Iranian Parliament said the new legislature is opposed to any negotiation or compromise with the United States and deems it “futile and harmful”. 
“The 11th Majlis supports expansion of relations with the global community, but maintains that relying on governments that have a dark record, both during their own history and during the period of the Islamic Republic, is a strategic mistake,” Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said in his first speech to the Majlis on Sunday, ICANA reported. 
Iran’s relations with its traditional foe has experienced an escalation since Washington pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal two years ago and reimposed sweeping sanctions on Tehran. 
The administration of US President Donald Trump has initiated a maximum pressure campaign to force Iranian leaders to renegotiate a new and more comprehensive deal. 
Tehran has refused to enter into any talks unless sanctions are lifted completely and the damage on Iranian economy is compensated. 
“The Majlis … will not accept any compromise and will place strong opposition to foreign enemies, especially the US and the Zionist regime, among its basic principles,” Qalibaf said. 
The new parliament speaker stressed that the country’s foreign relations should be focused on regional countries, especially neighbors, as well as major powers that remained friendly during hard times and have shared strategic interests with Iran.  
As tensions heightened between the two, the US also assassinated Iran’s top commander, Major General Qasem Soleimani, on Iraqi soil in January, to which Iran responded by attacking American locations in Iraq with missiles, causing brain injuries to over 100 US troops. 
Qalibaf said the parliament’s strategy in dealing with the “terrorist America” would involve completing the revenge for martyr Soleimani’s assassination.
“This task began with the unprecedented attack on Ein al-Asad base [hosting US forces in Iraq] … and will be completed with the total expulsion of the US terrorist army from the region,” he said. 

Neither Clash, Nor Compromise 

Qalibaf also said the new legislature will neither try to confront nor challenge the government, nor compromise on upholding people’s rights and interests.   
“The Majlis will try to reform and remove the legal obstacles on the government’s way of serving the people, but will not allow it to act neglectfully in enacting the laws that will solve people’s problems,” he said.  
He criticized the incumbent administration for its inefficient management and reliance on foreign countries, saying the parliament can use its lawmaking and supervisory authority to direct the government toward the desirable path. 
The new Majlis speaker also regretted that Iran’s popular revolution in 1979 has not resulted in a popular economy that directly involves the people. 
He said the elimination of people’s effective participation and the government’s illogical interventions have caused serious economic issues through the years. 
“A popular economy rests on the people and is managed by their direct will, participation, capital and activity, and the government’s role is only to prepare the ground, open up opportunities and supervise,” he said.