Senate sanctions bill shows unchanged US evil nature: Baqeri

A senior Iranian military official has slammed the US Senate's decision to impose new sanctions on Tehran, saying the move indicates that there has been no change in the malignant nature of Washington.

“These sanctions are not something new for [Iran’s] Armed Forces and we have been under sanctions for the past 38 years and nothing new has happened,” Chief of Staff of Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri said on Saturday.

However, these bans indicate that the enemy is repeating its evil acts against Iran, he added, saying, “If some individuals are fantasizing about a change in the enemy’s [nature], it is not true.”

The senior Iranian commander further said the US sanctions also violate a landmark nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in 2015.

“The new US Senate’s sanctions against Iran violate the spirit and text of the JCPOA,” Baqeri said.

Baqeri said the enemy would continue with its hostility towards Iran and urged the Iranian Armed Forces to “take lessons from this issue” and improve their self-reliance.

He noted that such reliance would boost the Armed Forces’ preparedness and capabilities, adding, “We will have no concern about sanctions” in such a case. 

SS