Cleric Reiterates Iran’s Commitment to Geneva N. Accord

Addressing a large congregation of Iranian people here in Tehran today, Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to the landmark nuclear deal it signed with the sextet of world powers on November 24, but made it clear that the country will always retain its dignity and defend its nuclear rights.

Iran and the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) on November 24 signed a six-month deal on Tehran’s nuclear program based on which the world powers agreed to suspend some non-essential sanctions and to impose no new nuclear-related bans in return for Tehran's decision to freeze parts of its nuclear activities and to allow more inspection of its nuclear facilities.

Ayatollah Emami Kashani also called on the West, the US in particular, to behave sincerely in dealing with the Islamic Republic, saying the world denounces unfair and deceptive practices, which the westerners have resorted to throughout the history.

On Thursday, December 19, a group of bipartisan US senators introduced new legislation to impose more sanctions against Iran despite the nuclear deal reached between Tehran and the world powers in Geneva last month.

The new sanctions bill seeks to enforce a total embargo on Iran's oil exports over the next two years and to choke off Tehran's ability to access any of its revenue held in foreign bank accounts. It also aims to curtail Iran's ability to gain revenue from economic sectors so far not significantly hit by sanctions, such as the mining, engineering and real estate industries.

The Senate bill came only a week after the US Treasury Department on December 12 slapped sanctions against more than a dozen companies and individuals for evading US sanctions against Iran. The blacklisting is widely seen as an attempt to head off moves in Congress to impose tougher sanctions that would be in clear breach of the Geneva agreement.