Iran’s Speaker says sanctioning Zarif reveals US 'lies'
The US move to sanction Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif shows that Washington “tells lies and cheats”, said Iran’s parliament speaker on Saturday as internal and international condemnation over Zarif’s designation pour in.
“They [the Americans] talk about negotiations while they have sanctioned Iran’s chief negotiator. This shows that they lie and cheat,” said Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani on Saturday.
Speaking in a meeting with Afghan Senate Speaker Fazl Hadi Moslemyar, the Iranian parliamentary speaker slammed the US for leaving the 2015 nuclear agreement and then restoring economic sanctions on Iran.
The US imposed sanctions on Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday, claiming that he implements the agenda of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
Afghan peace process
The Iranian legislative chief stressed that Tehran has always stood behind Afghanistan in “very hard times”, supporting the country’s integrity, independence and security.
He slammed the US efforts to lead negotiations with the Taliban outside Afghanistan, saying that “the Americans are not seeking peace, but the Afghan nation’s humiliation”.
The US resumed talks with Taliban in Qatar on Saturday. The Afghan government has fiercely been rejecting those talks, saying it’s being kept in the dark by the US.
Larijani stressed that Iran always supports all kinds of dialogue that include the Afghan government as well.
“Today there is the talk of sustainable peace in the region. The Islamic Republic stands next to the Afghan government. Iran supports the peace council there,” he added.
The Afghan offical thanked Iran for supporting his country, expressing gratitude to the Iranian leader for backing the Afghan nationals’ education in Iran.
There are nearly a million Afghan refugees living in Iran.
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