TEHRAN – Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani has said that British Foreign Secretary William Hague’s claims about Iran’s March 2 parliamentary election are indicative of Britain’s “political backwardness.”   

 

According to Reuters, Hague claimed on Friday that Iran’s parliamentary election was not free and fair and did not reflect the will of the people. 

 

“It has been clear for some time that these elections would not be free and fair. The (Iranian government) has presented the vote as a test of loyalty, rather than an opportunity for people freely to choose their own representatives,” Hague said in a statement.

 

Addressing an open session of the parliament on Monday, Larijani said, “The British government should make a decision about its foreign secretary because he speaks a lot and makes baseless remarks, particularly what he said about Iran’s election… these behaviors of the British government prove that the Majlis decision to reduce ties with that country was a completely timely and right decision because this judgment indicates their political backwardness and the fact that they do not see the realities.” 

 

In November 2011, the Iranian parliament approved a proposal calling for a reduction in the level of diplomatic and trade ties with Britain to a minimum level. 

 

Larijani also pointed to U.S. President Barack Obama’s recent threatening remarks about Iran and said, “Mr. Obama, instead of warning Iran (which is a) bluff, had better not inflame Muslims’ sentiments anymore… because it is not clear whether they would be able to contain sentiments of Muslims and brave Afghan people.” 

 

Larijani was referring to the recent desecration of the holy Quran by U.S. troops in Afghanistan. 

 

In an interview with the Atlantic magazine published on Friday, Obama warned Iran and said, “As president of the United States, I don’t bluff.”

 

“I think both the Iranian and the Israeli governments recognize that when the United States says it is unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, we mean what we say,” Obama said. 

 

Obama also repeated the U.S. refrain that “all options are on the table” and said, “It includes a military component. And I think people understand that.”