Ali Larijani: If New Justifications for Sanctions Are Revived, We Will Ruin the Nuclear Agreement

The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament warned Western countries, particularly the United States, on Thursday evening, July 1, that if they attempt to present the nuclear agreement with Tehran 'in a different and desired manner,' the agreement will collapse. Ali Larijani, speaking at a ceremony in Lavasan, accused Western countries of 'walking a crooked path' and stated that they 'want to exert pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran under new pretexts.' According to ILNA news agency, he remarked: 'We have previously told them that if the West seeks to revive the issue of sanctions under new pretexts, we will ruin the nuclear agreement. This is also present in the resolution of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and in the statements of the Leader.' The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament stated that negotiating parties with Tehran 'create problems regarding the lifting of sanctions' and that 'maintaining economic pressures on the Islamic Republic under the pretext of fighting terrorism and imposing new sanctions is one of their tactics.' Larijani referred to what he called 'pressure' on the Hezbollah group in Lebanon, saying: 'They exert pressure on Hezbollah to put pressure on Iran.' This high-ranking Iranian official's remarks seem to refer to statements made on July 8 by Eric Schultz, the White House Press Secretary, who asked Tehran to stop its support for Hezbollah, stating: 'The continuation of such assistance will cause Iran's problems in accessing international markets to persist.' Schultz added: 'We have asked all those who assist Hezbollah to cut off their support. We know that Iran supports terrorism. We know that Iran supports Hezbollah, and for this reason, we have imposed severe sanctions against Iran.' These comments from the American official are in response to a recent admission by Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, who stated that as long as Iran has money, we also have money. Last month, the Central Bank of Lebanon announced that it had blocked about 100 bank accounts of this political-military group in line with the recent U.S. sanctions against Hezbollah. Hezbollah has been on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations since 1995. The European Union, the UK, New Zealand, and recently the Arab League have also placed this group on their terrorist lists. On the other hand, from time to time, Republican members of the U.S. Congress, who hold a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate and oppose the Iran nuclear agreement, speak of the necessity of sanctioning Iran due to its support for 'terrorist groups' and interference in the internal affairs of other countries. Ali Larijani stated that one of the goals of the West in exerting pressure on the Islamic Republic is 'to reduce Iran's influence in the region' and expressed that Tehran will not engage in 'childish and frivolous competitions in the region,' and that its support for Palestine and Islamic movements in the region is 'because we consider it part of our inherent and religious duties.' The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament emphasized that the West will not come to terms with Iran regarding 'accepting Iran's regional position' and that they are 'bargaining and trying to create problems regarding the lifting of sanctions.' Iran and six world powers reached an agreement on July 15, 2015, to resolve Tehran's nuclear program, whereby Iran suspended many of its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of crippling international sanctions against it. However, Iran claims that despite several months since the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), it has still been unable to benefit from its advantages, and the U.S. does not allow Tehran to access the dollar exchange system.