Iran parliament vows to fight US 'adventurism’

A handout picture provided by the office of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on September 7, 2016 shows him looking on during the cabinet meeting in Tehran. PHOTO | AFP STRINGER

By  AFP

What you need to know:

  • The motion was originally introduced after the US Senate passed new sanctions on Iran in June and sent them to the House of Representatives.

  • The Pentagon has also repeatedly voiced concern over a string of high-profile incidents in waters off Iran involving Iranian vessels.

TEHRAN

Iran’s parliament voted Tuesday to urgently work towards increasing funds for the country’s missile programme and Revolutionary Guards in response to Washington’s “adventurism” in the region, media reported.

An overwhelming majority of Iranian lawmakers passed a motion to prioritise legislation “to confront terrorist and adventurist actions by the United States in the region,” the Mizan Online website reported.

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The motion was originally introduced after the US Senate passed new sanctions on Iran in June and sent them to the House of Representatives.

ARMED FORCES

The proposed bill, published by the ISNA news agency, mandates the government to allocate an additional $260 million to the joint armed forces for the “development of the missile programme” and the same amount to the Revolutionary Guards’ foreign operations wing, the Quds Force.

The motion sends a clear message to the Americans that Iran’s parliament “will resist them with all its power”, speaker Ali Larijani said.

The Quds Force leads Iran’s military role in Syria and Iraq.

MILITARY SUPPORT

Tehran offers financial, political and military support for the governments of both countries, in particular by posting advisers on the ground and organising and training volunteer Shiite fighters.

The Pentagon has also repeatedly voiced concern over a string of high-profile incidents in waters off Iran involving Iranian vessels.

It has accused the Revolutionary Guards of conducting risky manoeuvres around US warships in the Gulf, some of which resulted in the Americans firing warning shots.

TOUGH STANCE

US President Donald Trump’s administration has spared no effort to show a tough stance on Iran, promising new non-nuclear sanctions and stricter implementation of a two-year-old nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers.

On Monday the White House said the nuclear accord would stay in place for now, backing away from a campaign pledge by Trump to scrap the agreement, under which Tehran scaled back its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of some sanctions.

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