US Seeking New Pretexts for Iran Sanctions, Says Larijani

Iran’s Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani says the United States always looks for pretexts to impose sanctions on the Islamic Republic, stressing the importance of remaining vigilant in the face of Washington’s moves.

 “The very countries that threw spanners in the works of the Islamic Republic of Iran may …once again move to impose new sanctions [against the country] through other ways. Therefore, such measures and issues should be fully monitored,” Larijani said on Saturday.

He warned that Western countries seek to pursue adventurism under the current circumstances and said, “We definitely need solidarity and resistance to confront these measures.”

The Iranian Majlis speaker dismissed the West’s claims about the country’s missile program, saying they lack legal standing and are only part of a “propaganda stunt.”

 “None of the ballistic missiles produced by Iran has been designed to carry nuclear warheads,” Larijani pointed out.

The US Treasury Department on March 24 blacklisted two Iranian companies claiming that the firms backed Iran’s ballistic missile program. Washington also claimed that the companies are working for an industrial group, which the US alleges is in charge of Iran’s ballistic missile program.

The blacklisting came after the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) successfully test-fired two more ballistic missiles on March 9 as part of military drills to assess the IRGC’s capabilities. The missiles dubbed Qadr-H and Qadr-F were fired during large-scale drills, code-named Eqtedar-e-Velayat.

On March 8, Iran fired another ballistic missile called Qiam from silo-based launchers in different locations across the country.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on March 30 said Iran must strengthen its defense capabilities in the face of enemy threats.

“If the Islamic establishment seeks technology and negotiations but does not have defensive power, it will have to back down in the face of any petty country that threatens [it],” the Leader said.

Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized, however, that Iran’s negotiating skills must also be boosted.

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