MP urges vigilance against US fraud

Tehran, March 16, IRNA - A senior Iranian lawmaker warned against a “political fraud” by the US Congress or its next administration in the wake of a possible nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers. Mohammad Hassan Asafari, a member of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, told Iran Daily that the Iranian negotiating team should be vigilant regarding a nuclear agreement, the terms of which need to be written in a way that prevents any possible misuse by the Americans in future. Asafari added that a nuclear deal would “destroy the Iranophobia front”. “I hope the deal would result in the lifting of sanctions, secure the Islamic Republic’s nuclear right and earn the other side’s trust regarding Iran’s peaceful atomic activities,” he said. Iran and the United States held a new round of talks in the Swiss city of Lausanne, Switzerland, on Sunday to bridge their differences and pave the way for a comprehensive accord between Tehran and the P5+1 (the US, the UK, France, Russia and China, plus Germany) ahead of a July 1 deadline. US partisanship Commenting on a recent letter signed by 47 US Republican senators in which they warned Iranian officials of the impermanence of a potential nuclear deal, Asafari said the message shows ethics are being ignored in the US political spectrum. The senators last week said any deal with Iran would be “nothing more than an executive agreement” which could be canceled by the next US president “by a stroke of a pen”. The lawmaker further said the letter indicates that political parties in the US can intervene in a deal between the American government and other countries. “The letter indicates that decision-making bodies in the United States do not support their own government and try to obstruct the process if a deal is against the interests of their parties,” he said. Asafari noted that the measure by Republicans shows the influence of pro-Israeli lobby on the US Congress and that any decision by the US government or Congress needs to be approved by Israel. Political rivalry Another member of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission said the US senators’ letter to Iran demonstrates the intensifying political rivalry between Republicans and Democrats. “This letter will not affect the US administration’s foreign policy,” Hadi Shoushtari added. The lawmaker further said US President Barack Obama has already blasted the senators for writing such a letter. Shoushtari noted that based on international law, a new government will be obliged to respect agreements between its predecessor and other countries.