Shamkhani Warns against Any New Anti-Iran Sanctions


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said Iran would react if the US Congress decides to impose new sanctions against the country.

US Republicans and their powerful Zionist lobby groups are now trying to impose new anti-Iran sanctions, especially after their recent defeat in the Senate, Shamkhani said on Saturday.

"However" he added "the Islamic Republic of Iran would naturally respond to any type of sanctions that restores pressures on the country."

His remarks came as Republicans in the US Congress opposing the Iran nuclear agreement are not giving up despite losing to Democrats this week. They are plotting additional attacks to undercut the deal.

On Thursday, Senate Democrats blocked a Republican resolution to reject the historic Vienna accord between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, US, Britain, France, and Germany), ensuring that the deal can be implemented without Obama having to use his veto power.

But, in the House of Representatives, Republicans succeeded to pass a resolution against the Iran agreement by 162 to 269 votes on Friday.

The House vote, however, is symbolic that will have no consequence for the implementation of the nuclear agreement.

According to the Washington-based The Hill newspaper, Republicans in both chambers are now conspiring to launch new attacks to either undermine the accord or force Democrats to cast the same vote all over again.

Members of Congress who object to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) are already proposing that Congress pass new sanctions tied to Iran’s alleged support for terrorism.

Earlier this month, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei underlined that anti-Iran sanctions must be terminated, rather than suspended, under a nuclear deal whose text was finalized in July, stressing that Iran would not accept any deal that does not include the lifting of the sanctions.

“If the sanctions are not going to be removed, then there will be no deal,” Imam Khamenei said in a meeting with members of Iran’s Assembly of Experts in Tehran.