Nation United Against Western Pressures: MP

Tehran, Oct 21, IRNA – Nation is united against western economic pressures, Parliament (Majlis) National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Member Ahmad Bakhshayesh said here on Saturday. He made the remarks in an interview with IRNA. 'European comprehensive sanctions against Iran show that they are afraid of Iran's soft power and Tehran's increasing influence in the region.' The high-ranking official underlined that nation's unity in confronting the enemy pressures caused them to become more nervous and they have realized well that Iranian nation is committed to defend its rights and will not bend to them. 'Affecting the upcoming presidential election in Iran is one of the goals of western pressures.' Pointing to the UN Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed's allegations in his recent report on violation of human rights in Iran, he noted that Europeans' silence towards the killing of Shia minorities in Pakistan and crackdown on Bahraini people as well as EU limitations over Iranian satellite TV channels are just examples of West's paradoxical approach toward issues like human right or freedom of speech. 'Ongoing anti-western regional Islamic Awakening which led to the fall of pro-western dictators have been inspired by Iran and this has also intensified the West's rage toward Tehran.' 'EU unilateral sanctions against Iran will increase the current socio-economic problems in Europe; Iranian parliament has plans to retaliate the EU anti-Iranian plots,' Bakhshayesh added. It is important to know that despite the rules enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entitling every member-state, including Iran, to the right of uranium enrichment, Tehran is now under four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions and the western embargos for turning down the West's calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment for peaceful and medical purposes. Tehran has dismissed the West's demand as politically-motivated and irrational, stressing that sanctions and pressures merely consolidate Iranians' national resolve to continue its path. Political observers believe that the United States has remained at loggerheads with Iran mainly over the independent and home-grown nature of Tehran's nuclear technology, which gives the Islamic Republic the potential to turn into a global power and a role model for the other third-world countries. EU pressures on Iran have not been limited to the economic area and The Eutelsat company has exerted pressure on the Hotbird satellite broadcast service provider to cut 12473 satellite transmission and prevent providing services to the networks of this satellite package since October 15. Some of the Iranian television channels disrupted are Al-Alam, Press TV, Al-Kowsar, News network, Sahar 1 and 2 and Jaam-e Jam 1 and 2. Accusing Islamic Republic of violation of human rights by appointing Former Maldivian Foreign Minister Ahmed Shaheed as the UN Special Raporteur on Iran in June 17, 2011 is another pressure tool of the West against Iran. Shaheed reports are a copy of baseless accusations posed in the anti-Iran terrorist group MKO and sedition movement news sites against IR Iran. While the most important factor which urged UN Human Rights Council to appoint Shaheed as UN Special Raporteur on Iran was the fact that he is a Muslim and aware of Islamic rules, most of the accusation in the Shaheed’s report against IR Iran questioned the rules of Islam or the rules approved in Iranian parliament./end