PHOTO: Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani “The behavior of the Westerners has not changed”
LATEST
- Rouhani on Quds Day: “Palestinian Nation Will Achieve Victory”
- Labor Activist Azimzadeh Released from Prison on Furlough After Hunger Strike
- Reports: Heads of 4 Banks Fired over Salaries Scandal
Iran’s Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani has warned that Tehran will abandon the July 2015 nuclear deal if Western countries apply economic pressure under new pretexts.
In the latest regime denunciation of continued US sanctions, Larijani said, “We keep zooming in on their behavior and we see no kind of compromise or conciliatory behavior.”
Under January’s implementation of Iran’s nuclear agreement with the 5+1 Powers, some long-standing sanctions — notably affecting Iranian oil exports — have been lifted. However, other US financial restrictions have yet to be removed fully, and European companies are wary of renewing business with Tehran for fear of American punishment.
In addition, the US Supreme Court has frozen $2 billion in Iranian assets, says that families of terrorism victims can sue for compensation, and Washington has imposed new sanctions over Iran’s ballistic missile testing.
The Supreme Leader has warned that Iran will not tolerate the situation. He has ruled out cooperation with the “dishonest” US on any issue other than the nuclear deal.
On Thursday, Ayatollah Khamenei urged the head of judiciary, Sadegh Larijani, to challenge the Supreme Court’s freezing of Iranian assets: “The denial of the Iranian nation’s rights due to sanctions must be investigated by the Judiciary on the international stage.”
“They Want to Reduce Our Influence”
Larijani said on Thursday, “We have already told the Westerners that if they engage in looking for pretexts so they can re-impose the sanctions under new excuses, we will discard the nuclear deal.”
The Speaker claimed that Western countries are maintaining economic pressure to “reduce Iranian influence in the region”: “We believe that the behavior of the Westerners has not changed following the JCPOA [nuclear deal] and that their tactics have rather shifted.”
He also implicitly defended Iran’s escalating military intervention in the Syrian and Iraqi crises, saying, “There is the likelihood that the insecurity may spread to Iran….That is why we have an active role in the region and adopt preemptive policies to maintain our own stability and security.”
Rouhani on Quds Day: “Palestinian Nation Will Achieve Victory”
President Rouhani has marked Quds (Jerusalem) Day by declaring that the Palestinian nation “will never remain alone and it will certainly achieve victory in the wake of resistance”.
The Iranian regime has held large rallies for Quds Day since 1979, using the occasion to denounce Israel and proclaim unity behind the cause of the Palestinian people.
See Iran Daily, June 30: Regime Seeks Mass Anti-Israel Demonstration on Friday
Rouhani connected the occasion to regional crises such as those in Syria and Iraq, telling reporters that Israel is a “base for the global arrogance and the US”: “We have distanced [ourselves] from the ideal of liberating Palestine in the wake of discord in the Islamic world and emergence of Takfiri and terrorist groups in the region.”
Labor Activist Azimzadeh Released from Prison on Furlough After Hunger Strike
Labour activist Jaafar Azimzadeh has been released from prison after a prolonged hunger strike.
Azimzadeh, the secretary of the board of the Free Union of Iranian Workers, was given a six-year sentence after he campaigned for an increase in the minimum wage. He was accused of acting against national security.
He was on the 64th day of his hunger strike when he was granted the furlough on Thursday.
Reports: Heads of 4 Banks Fired over Salaries Scandal
Iranian media, citing an “informed source”, said that the heads of four public banks have been fired amid a scandal over the exorbitant salaries of public officials.
The source said Economy Minister Ali Tayyebnia dismissed the heads of the banks — Mellat, Saderat, Refah, and Mehr Iran — upon the order of President Rouhani.
The scandal erupted earlier this month with the leaks of the high salaries and benefits, above the legal ceiling, of Government officials.
The Supreme Leader said on Wednesday:
The issue of astronomical salaries is in fact an attack on our values, but everyone should know that they are among exceptions.
This issue must not be delayed. It should be seriously followed up and the people must be informed of the results.
