US should not use sanctions as leverage in nuclear talks, says Iran MP

Tehran – The talks in Vienna, Austria, is aimed at lifting anti-Iran sanctions, but the United States attempts to misuse sanctions as leverage to affect the negotiation process, an Iranian lawmaker said.

Abolfazl Amouei, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the parliament, told IRNA on Sunday that the Islamic Republic is stressing the anti-Iran sanctions are cruel and against Iranians’ human rights; so, they should be removed, and that Tehran takes part in the nuclear talks to pave the way for lifting sanctions, but the other side tries to make use of the embargo as leverage in a bid to influence the Vienna talks by increasing the number of Iranian companies under unlawful sanctions.

Iran should not leave the sanctions unanswered, he said, adding that Tehran’s decision in this respect is rational in terms of political aspects because it shows the country possesses the capacity to mount its uranium enrichment capacity; so, the other party should assess precisely backlash of imposing pressures on Iran, and they should be aware that actions against the Islamic country will not be left unreciprocated.

As to the injection of gas into advanced centrifuges, the legislator noted that the Islamic Republic has reached appropriate capabilities concerning nuclear program especially production of centrifuges, including IR6, which can speed up uranium enrichment process.

The Iranian Parliament’s law “Strategic Action Plan to Lift Sanctions and Protect Iranian Nation’s Interest” approved on January 29, 2021, tasked the administrative branch to install 1,000 IR6 centrifuges within a year, he said, noting that the Raisi administration is going ahead with the legal task.

The enriched uranium can be utilized for fuel needed for reactors in the future, and at the same time it is indicating that Iran is capable of standing against excessive demands by the other parties, the lawmaker argued.

In recent weeks, the US has imposed fresh sanctions on companies and individuals involved in Iranian petrochemical sector, while the European Union has been trying to promote Iran and other parties to resume nuclear talks.

Iran and the P4+1 group (Britain, France, Russia, China plus Germany) have held rounds of talks in Vienna to discuss revival of the 2015 nuclear deal and remove anti-Iran sanctions as it was designated in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Source: IRNA

Raghda Sawas