Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani says most regional conflicts can be defused through diplomacy and Iran will spare no effort to help restore peace and security to the crisis-hit Middle East. The top lawmaker made the remarks on Thursday in an interview with the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, IRNA reported.
Regarding the speculations on the fragmentation of Syria, he said, the dissolution of the Arab country is such a dream for terrorist groups which will never be realized.
Asked about the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Larijani stated, "The Saudis are like our brothers, and we do not need to compete with each other; nevertheless, they have made serious mistakes and should not expect us to approve of their irrational approaches to address political issues."
He said for any peace initiative to bear fruit, achieving a consensus among key players in the region is essential.
Calling for the formation of a national coalition government in Syria, Larijani emphasized the need to respect the rights of different groups. According to the parliament speaker, over the last decade, wherever a war has broken out, from Afghanistan to Syria, new terrorist groups have emerged, and the same tragedy will occur in war-torn Yemen sooner or later.
"Iran is the sole state which is [truly] fighting terrorism," Larijani asserted, reiterating that despite some countries' pretensions to be combating terrorism, there is evidence that some so-called anti-terrorist countries support extremists financially via warmongers.
Commenting on the historic international agreement on Iran's nuclear program, officially titled the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the speaker noted, "All in all, the JCPOA served our purpose and Iran's objectives were fulfilled; nonetheless, the US government has never ceased its hostilities against Iran and imposed sanctions, [a policy which] has neither a logical nor a legal basis."
Asked about the possible disapproval of the pact by the US Congress, he stressed, "As far as I know, there are enough votes in the US Congress to prevent efforts to block the deal; furthermore, in case Washington rejects the agreement, which of course will bring disgrace to President Barack Obama, Iran will respond by making the right decision."
On the likelihood of an improvement in Tehran-Washington relations, Larijani said, "This issue depends on the US government" and as the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has put it, "The nuclear deal will be a measure of US credibility."
