Larijani: Work on Countering New Sanctions is Ongoing in Parliament

In response to the recent sanctions imposed by the United States, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Parliament, announced on Thursday, August 5, that there is a "plan" in place to "counter" these sanctions and that work is currently underway. Larijani also promised that the issue of Tehran's retaliation against the new sanctions from the U.S. Congress would be pursued "in the first public session of Parliament after Hassan Rouhani's inauguration." The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved a bill on Tuesday, August 3, to impose further sanctions on Iran, Russia, and North Korea. This bill is essentially a new version of a Senate bill passed last June, which sanctions Iran for "developing ballistic missiles, supporting terrorism and militia groups, and violating human rights in the country." These sanctions are separate from those related to Iran's nuclear activities, which, under the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA, the U.S. committed to lifting or suspending alongside its European and Asian partners. The Islamic Republic also committed to significantly reducing its nuclear activities as a counterparty to the JCPOA. In response to the approval of these sanctions, President Hassan Rouhani threatened on Wednesday, August 4, without providing details, that the Islamic Republic would "certainly" take "reciprocal action" against the sanctions. Rouhani only noted that "in the first step, the Islamic Consultative Assembly will take its own steps in this regard." It seems that the Speaker of Parliament's reaction also alludes to this point mentioned by Rouhani. In an interview with the state television of Khorasan province, Larijani stated, "There are ways to counter America's actions in Iran, some of which have been discussed in the nuclear council, and counteraction work is ongoing in Parliament." He also mentioned that the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Parliament is set to hold an "extraordinary meeting" on this matter. In another part of his interview, the Speaker of Parliament urged radio and television to refrain from exaggeration regarding these new sanctions and not to create "unwarranted anxiety." He said, "The claim that this issue is the mother of all sanctions is not true because a large part of the sanctions already exists, so anxiety should not be created...." This point has also been previously mentioned by Rouhani in response to these sanctions, stating, "The sanctions on Iran are essentially a repetition of past sanctions, indicating that America's sanctioning weapon has become much slower compared to the past." Abbas Araqchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, also emphasized this point in his reaction, stating that the new sanctions are merely a "compilation of existing sanctions concerning issues such as terrorism, human rights, missile and arms issues." Earlier, in response to other U.S. sanctions, including those imposed by the Senate in June, Iranian officials had promised reciprocal action, but no details of the counteraction plan have been published yet. However, Tehran has placed at least two American companies on its sanctions list in response to U.S. sanctions in the past year. Previously, the U.S. President warned Iran on Tuesday, August 3, during a speech to adhere to the nuclear agreement; otherwise, it would face "big problems." Donald Trump, speaking at a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, added that if it is confirmed that Iran has not adhered to the [nuclear] agreement, it will face very big problems. This is something I can tell you. The Trump administration, on July 26, confirmed to Congress that Iran has remained compliant with the nuclear agreement and the "Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action" associated with it, while also stating that it has acted contrary to its "spirit." Following this confirmation, sanctions against Iran were also approved. Shortly after the Trump administration's report to Congress, American media reported that the confirmation was issued reluctantly by Trump. In this context, the White House spokesperson stated that the government supports sanctions against Iran, Russia, and North Korea. Rouhani: "We will certainly take reciprocal action against the new sanctions." Araqchi's reaction to the new sanctions: "It will affect the successful implementation of the JCPOA." Trump's warning to Iran about adhering to the "nuclear agreement." The new sanctions bill against Iran and Russia was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. There is a high likelihood of the U.S. House of Representatives voting for more sanctions against Iran and Russia.