Iran Reiterates US Lifting Sanctions as Condition for Better TiesIran on Monday reiterated that the lifting of United States sanctions on Iran is a precondition for thawing the icy ties between the two countries, the official IRNA news agency reported.Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi made the remark at a press conference in response to the U.S. administration's lobbying for a two-year extension of a law that punishes foreign firms having a large investment in Iran's oil industry. "We announce for the umpteenth time that in the status quo, any restoration of ties between the two countries depends on fundamental removal of barriers, including the U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran," Asefi said. Iran and the U.S. severed diplomatic relations in 1980 after the seizure, by some Muslim students, of the U.S. embassy in Tehran following the 1979 Iran's Islamic Revolution. "If the U.S. government is intent to take a positive stride in its interaction with Iran, it should meet the legitimate demands without any preconditions," the spokesman said. "Not only Iran slams the unilateral sanctions which contravene all international laws and conventions, but also all the countries in the world have practically opposed the act," he added. Accusing Iran of sponsoring terrorism, seeking to sabotage Arab- Israeli peace efforts and committing human rights abuses, the U.S. has imposed economic sanctions against Iran since 1980. Moreover, the U.S. adopted an act which punishes foreign firms having a large energy investment in Iran and Libya five years ago to make the sanctions more effective. As the act is going to expire, a powerful pro-Israeli lobby is pressing for another full five-year extension of the controversial legislation. But the U.S. administration is in favor of a two-year extension. |
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