Ayatollah Hashemi-Shahroudi:

US seeks to tighten pressure on Iran to win concessions from JCPOA

Rasa – The head of Iran’s Expediency Council said the United States plans to tighten pressure on Iran to win concessions from the JCPOA.

News ID: 433126

Date: 15 October 2017 - 09:30

RNA – Speaking at the beginning of the session of the Special Affairs Committee of the Expediency Council, Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammad Hashemi-Shahroudi referred to the “undiplomatic and impartial” remarks by the President of United States, Donald Trump, in which he distorted Iran’s history and geography and said, “Besides a series of unsubstantiated accusations, [Trump] didn’t say anything else in his rhetoric.”

The chairman of the Expediency Council considered Trump’s angry speech as the result of the failure of American policies in the region and said, “The US, which has created the sedition of Daesh in the region itself, is now seeking to pursue other seditious actions, such as the division of the countries of the region, after the failure of its policies and has always has seen Iran as preventing the implementation of its bullying policies.”

Recalling Trump’s statements during the 2016 electoral campaign, he said, “He explicitly accused his electoral rivals, who were officials of the US government, of creating Daesh. Of course, it’s clear to all of the world how Daesh was created and these cunning individuals don’t speak the truth.”

Ayatollah Hashemi-Shahroudi stated that Trump’s obscene accusations against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Islamic Iran were the result of the political anger of the leaders of the imperialist powers of the world and said, “Everyone knows that Iran and the IRGC are the main factors behind the dissolution of Daesh in the countries of the region.”

The Iranian cleric described the IRGC as the revolutionary and military force of the Iranian people and the country’s Islamic system and added, “The IRGC has consistently affirmed its defense of Iran and its Islamic Revolution as well as its defense of the oppressed and the weak people of the world.”

He stressed that serving the oppressed peoples of Iran is at the request of the legitimate governments of the countries of the Middle East and said, “Those who are politically aware understand these issues so trying to distort these issues will be ineffective and will only bring them greater dishonour.”

His Eminence said that attracting Israel’s consent and the Zionist lobbies are Trump’s second goal to falsify clear historic and geopolitical issues and added, “The withdrawal of both states from UNESCO represents a bitter truth in a political world wherein a superpower has become subject to a false and illegitimate government.”

Ayatollah Hashemi-Shahroudi stated that Trump’s hostile stance was a repeat of the controversy during his 2016 election campaign and said that he was still trying to exert more pressure on Iran and other parties in the nuclear negotiations to gain more privileges from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and is seemingly unaware that the ratification of international treaties has a specific time.

The senior Iranian politician said the US’ efforts to find links in matters unrelated to the nuclear negotiations and the JCPOA were one of the US’ objectives, as well those of some other parties, to expand the scope of the negotiations.

“All praise to God, with the decree of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution [Ayatollah Khamenei] and the intelligence of the country’s officials, the JCPOA was limited to the nuclear issue and not other issues.”

The head of the Expediency Council described the pressure to restrict Iran’s military and defensive capabilities as unacceptable, saying, “All Iranian officials have repeatedly stated that they will not allow the country’s defense power to be weakened.”

Ayatollah Hashemi-Shahroudi considered these desperate efforts, which resulted in a lack of international confidence in the US in complying with international obligations, has largely contributed to the scandal of the presidents of the White House.

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