Details of the Plan to Counter US Sanctions Approved by Parliament

On Sunday, August 13, the Islamic Consultative Assembly approved the details of a plan known as "Countering the Adventurous and Terrorist Actions of America" in retaliation for US sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, with 240 votes from 247 present representatives. According to the state news agency IRNA, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of Parliament, stated, "Americans should know this plan is the first step taken by the Parliament. While we have cautiously taken steps in some matters, 16 other actions were also approved by the Nuclear Council, which will also be implemented." Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Parliament, also mentioned that this plan "maintains the framework of the JCPOA." Larijani and Naqavi Hosseini's statements came as the plan allocated two budgets worth 2 trillion tomans for the continuation of Iran's missile programs and the activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, each receiving 1 trillion tomans. Article 14 of the approved plan states: "The government and the armed forces of the country are obliged to take necessary measures to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran in all offensive and defensive areas, including air, sea, land, missile, and to create defenses against nuclear attacks and to develop propulsion systems, nuclear batteries, neutron imaging, and nuclear medicine with power and seriousness in planning and action." The US government had previously emphasized that Iran's missile program and the activities of the Quds Force violate the spirit of the nuclear agreement, as Iran is supposed to participate in creating peace and stability in the region and globally. In this context, Donald Trump, the US President, has repeatedly stated that, in his view, Iran is not adhering to the "spirit of the nuclear agreement." Previously, on June 15, the US Senate passed a bill known as the "Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act" with a decisive majority, which referred to Iran's ballistic missile program as a threat. This bill, after being reviewed in the House of Representatives and Senate, and adding new restrictions against Russia and North Korea, was referred to as the Comprehensive Sanctions Law against Iran, Russia, and North Korea, imposing mandatory sanctions on any individual and entity related to Iran's ballistic missile program and also on trading partners with this program. In addition to this bill, the US has also imposed unilateral sanctions in recent months against individuals and companies related to Iran's missile program in response to Iran's missile tests. Following the approval of the new sanctions bill in the US Senate, several members of Parliament, as well as Ali Akbar Velayati, international advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and a member of the JCPOA oversight board, described the Senate's resolution as contradictory to the JCPOA and promised that a suitable response would be given. Iranian officials consider the recent US sanctions against the Islamic Republic as a basis for the annulment of the JCPOA, but they have also emphasized that Iran will not be the first to annul the JCPOA. According to reports, Abbas Araghchi, Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, described the representatives' plan as "very strong" during the public session of Parliament on Sunday and stated that the Foreign Ministry supports it. He emphasized that this plan is "part of the actions" that the JCPOA oversight board has approved to counter the US Congress's plan. Previously, officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran had reported without detailing that the JCPOA oversight board had approved 16 actions in response to US sanctions, which would be communicated by the President. On July 18, Iranian Parliament representatives had approved the urgency of this plan. If the representatives' plan is approved by the Guardian Council, the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Defense, the IRGC, and the Iranian Army will be required to prepare a "comprehensive strategic plan to counter US threats and its disruptive activities against the Islamic Republic" within a maximum of six months. This plan also calls for the Iranian Foreign Ministry to impose sanctions against US officials or other citizens of this country who, according to Parliament representatives, "effectively participate in organizing, financing, directing, or committing terrorist acts against the interests of the government or citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran." The representatives' plan also includes sanctions against American citizens who support the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization "directly or indirectly, including through any financial, political, propaganda, cultural, military, and informational assistance." According to this plan, sanctions will also be imposed against US officials who support Israel. These sanctions include financial sanctions and a ban on entering Iran. Previously, the Iranian Foreign Ministry had also imposed sanctions against some American companies cooperating with Israel in retaliation for US actions. However, some experts have stated that these sanctions are not enforceable and that these companies have no dealings with Iran that would be harmed by these sanctions. According to this plan, some American citizens are exempt from these sanctions, including those who "seek to expose the illegal activities of US government officials" and also "those who expose corruption and fraud in the recent US elections." At the same time, the approved plan obliges the Ministry of Intelligence and the Quds Force of the IRGC to "continuously consult and exchange information with independent countries and resistance forces in the region to monitor the terrorist and adventurous actions of America." The accusation of involvement in terrorist activities against America comes at a time when the Islamic Republic of Iran is itself accused of supporting terrorist groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Islamic Jihad and Hamas in Palestine. At the same time, several countries in the region and the world criticize Tehran's interference in the internal affairs of countries such as Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. Iran has denied these accusations and criticisms. The approval of the budget for the development of Iran's missile program is based on the representatives' plan, which obliges the Ministry of Defense and the IRGC to prepare and present to the Supreme National Security Council, within a maximum of one month from the approval of this law, an "executive plan related to increasing the country's defensive and deterrent capabilities in the missile field." The Iranian Parliament's resolution also approved a budget of 1 trillion tomans for the development of Iran's missile program and 1 trillion tomans for Iran's military and security programs, which will be evenly distributed among the Ministries of Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, and Defense. The Iranian Parliament's resolution comes at a time when Western countries and the United Nations have previously protested against Iran's missile programs. Donald Trump, on April 20, accused Iran of "not acting according to the spirit of the nuclear agreement." He also paved the way for the complete sanctions against the IRGC by signing a resolution from the US Congress for new sanctions against Iran, Russia, and North Korea on August 2. On the same day, the US, UK, France, and Germany warned the United Nations that Iran had taken a "threatening and provocative step" by testing the Simorgh satellite launch vehicle, which has the capability to carry satellites into space. These countries also called for the UN Secretary-General to address this issue. Three days later, however, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, described this action as "a normal and routine task" that had caused "hysteria". On August 27, the Associated Press reported, citing senior US officials, that Donald Trump was seeking to negotiate with European countries to formulate a new agreement that could prevent the development of Iran's nuclear program even after the expiration of the JCPOA. According to this report, the US President is also trying to conduct inspections of Iran's "suspicious" military sites. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman described this as an "unfulfilled dream" and a "joke," while Ali Akbar Velayati, the international advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, called these reports "nonsense and exaggeration." Meanwhile, Hossein Salami, the deputy commander of the IRGC, said on Saturday night, August 12, in a television program: "Both the great Iranian nation and America and the world should know that if a request in the world is met with rejection and if there is only one wish that dies with its wish-maker, it is this request for American visits to our military centers." The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency closed the file of the possible military dimensions of the nuclear case known as "PMD" in a special session on December 25, 2015, after the report of the Director-General of this agency. 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