‘West’s economic pressure meant to divide Iranians’

TEHRAN, Sept. 4 (MNA) -- Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani says that the Western powers are tightening the economic pressure on Iran in order to create divisions among various groups in the country.

The West is also trying to weaken the Iranian nation’s faith to chip away at the “pillars of the Islamic Revolution,” Larijani said at a gathering of state officials in Qom late on Friday.

The parliament speaker warned that the West is seeking to undermine Iran’s position in the region.

“The West has targeted Iran’s potential in the region,” he added.

Larijani also said that efforts should be made to counter the effects of the economic sanctions imposed on Iran.

Over the past thirty years, many great achievements have been attained during periods of sanctions and restrictions, and now, Iran’s political system should make wise decisions so that the country can continue making progress, he noted.

In the current situation, officials should err on the side of caution when it comes to defining Iran’s economic system, he said.

To create an open economic system in the hope that the country will someday join the World Trade Organization is not a sensible decision, he stated.

Larijani also emphasized that all economic and cultural development programs should be based on domestic models.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he criticized the United States’ policies in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The U.S. wants to maintain a permanent presence in Iraq through six military bases, he said.

But Washington has made an unwise decision, and U.S. troops will eventually have to leave Iraq.