Senior MP: New US Sanctions Blatant Violation of Geneva Deal

(FNA)- Chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi deplored imposition of new US sanctions on Iran as a clear violation of the Geneva agreement.

Boroujerdi's remarks came after the US Treasury Department imposed new sanctions against a number of shipping firms, oil companies and airlines as well as six Iranian banks on Friday.

"This US measure is a blatant violation of the Geneva agreement," Boroujerdi told reporters on Saturday.

He called on other members of the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) to react to the US violation of the interim agreement signed by Iran and the G5+1 in Geneva in November.

Boroujerdi also called on Iranian negotiators to voice their strong opposition in their upcoming talks with the six world powers (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) and also ask for the annulment of the sanctions which are against the Geneva deal.

"This US measure which is against the Geneva deal is doomed and the US once again showed that it is not trustworthy," he added.

Earlier today Iranian President Hassan Rouhani deplored the current sanctions on Iran as an aggression against his nation, and stressed that his administration will stand tough against those who have imposed these embargoes.

"Sanction is oppression and aggression and we should stand against this aggression, suppress the aggressor and do not let the sanctions be kept in place and repeated," President Rouhani said addressing the closing ceremony of Shahid Rajayee Festival in Tehran on Saturday.

"We will not waste even a moment on this path and we will do our best; it does not mean that we are afraid of the sanctions or we cannot live without the removal of sanctions, as our people have lived under sanctions all throughout  the past years," the Iranian president said.

Also on Saturday, Rapporteur of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Seyed Hossein Naqavi Hosseini warned against the repercussions of Washington's dual-track approaches towards Iran, saying that the new US sanctions against Iran could ruin the nuclear talks between Tehran and the world powers.

"The US is the main obstacle to a nuclear agreement and the US statesmen have not sought agreement with Iran and they have, thus, caused a halt or slowdown in the negotiations at every stage of the talks through making excessive demands and adopting measures in violation of the previous agreements," Naqavi Hosseini said.

He pointed to the interim agreement reached between Iran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, France and Britain plus Germany) on November 24, 2013, and said, "According to the Joint Plan of Action, the G5+1 agreed not to impose new sanctions on Iran, but Americans have violated the agreement many times."

The prominent lawmaker warned that Iran may discard talks with the G5+1 because of the United States' excessive demands.

"Iran should warn the G5+1 that if the US does not annul the sanctions it means that the other side of the negotiations does not have a good will and when there is no good will why should Iran continue the talks," Naqavi Hosseini said.