Iran slams Western move to tighten sanctions
By Sara Rajabova
Imposing more sanctions against Iran would complicate the Iran nuclear issue and lead to toughening of its solution, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi said, Fars news agency reported.
Araqchi was commenting on the decision of the U.S. House of Representatives to tighten sanctions against Iran.
The United States and some of its Western allies have tightened economic sanctions on Iran to curb its nuclear program. However, Iran denies the allegations, saying its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes such as generating electricity and making medical isotopes.
The House of Representatives passed a bill on July 31 to tighten sanctions on Iran, reportedly showing a strong message to Tehran over its nuclear program days before President-elect Hassan Rouhani is sworn in.
The bill, which overwhelmingly passed 400-20 late on Wednesday, would cut Iran's oil exports by one million barrels per day over a year, in an attempt to reduce the flow of funds to the nuclear program. It is the first sanctions bill to put a number on exactly how much Iran's oil exports would be reduced.
Aragchi also argued that imposing sanctions by the U.S. against Iran has proved to be a failed policy.
He noted that the U.S. contradicts itself, showing interest in negotiating with Iran, alongside imposing new sanctions in the period of a government change.
The bill also blacklists any business in Iran's mining and construction sectors and commits the United States to the goal of ending all Iranian oil sales worldwide by 2015.
The bill has yet to be approved in the Senate and signed by President Barack Obama to become law.
Prior to the vote a group of Democratic US lawmakers had launched a campaign to urge the Congress to postpone the bill.
They said "it would be counterproductive and irresponsible to vote on this measure before Iran's new president Hassan Rohani is inaugurated on August 4, 2013."
Rohani won 50.7 percent of votes in the latest presidential election in Iran, which took place on June 14.
Prior to the elections, Rohani promised better relations with the world and solution of the dispute over the country's nuclear program.
After Rohani's win in the presidential election, Western governments, especially the United States, expressed high hopes for the newly elected Iranian president.
US officials and analysts said that Rohani's election win offers a possible opening for resolving a dispute with the U.S. over Tehran's nuclear activities.
Also, the EU nations have reacted positively to the news of the election of a moderate candidate as Iran's next president.
The leaders of the major European countries expressed hope that the new leadership in Iran would cooperate in efforts to find solutions to issues of international and regional concern.
However, the states which hope for a change in Iran's foreign policy after Rohani's election cautioned that the moderate cleric does not wield the power to enforce changes. Because Iran's Supreme Leader, Iran's most powerful man, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, defines the foreign policy of the country and any deal with the West would require his consent.