Iran parliament authorises firm action against US 'terrorist' acts

Published April 23, 2019
This file photo shows Iranian parliament. — AFP/File
This file photo shows Iranian parliament. — AFP/File

The Iranian parliament on Tuesday passed a bill requiring the government to take firm steps to respond to “terrorist actions” by the United States forces, the Iranian state TV reported, retaliating against Washington's blacklisting of the country's elite Revolutionary Guards.

On April 8 US President Donald Trump on April 8 designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) a foreign terrorist group, in an unprecedented step that drew Iranian condemnation and raised concerns about retaliatory attacks on US forces.

Tehran reacted to the designation, which took effect on April 15, by naming the US Central Command (CENTCOM) a terrorist organisation and the US government a sponsor of terrorism.

“The bill authorises the government to take firm and retaliatory measures against terrorist activities of American forces that endangers Iran's interests,” the TV reported.

“The government should use legal, political and diplomatic measures in response to the American actions.”

Highly loyal to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the IRGC is a powerful force which controls much of the Iranian economy and wields political influence in the country's faction-ridden clerical establishment.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency said some 168 lawmakers out of 210 present at the parliament voted for the bill.

Tensions have been on the rise between Tehran and Washington since last year, when Trump withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers and reimposed sanctions on the country.

In recent years, there have been periodic confrontations between the IRGC and US military in the Gulf.

The new chief commander of the IRGC Hossein Salami, appointed after the US blacklisting, has warned in the past that Iran could use its cruise and ballistic missiles and drones, mines, speedboats, and missile launchers in the Gulf area to confront the US.

The Trump administration, which has taken a hard line on Iran, said in a statement on Monday that the president has decided not to reissue waivers in May allowing importers to buy Iranian oil without facing US sanctions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the heightening economic pressure on Iran showed that Washington was in panic.

A commander of Iran's IRGC said on Monday that Tehran would block all exports through the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf if Tehran is barred from using the waterway, where a fifth of global oil consumption passes on its way from Middle East producers to major markets.

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.