TEHRAN - Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Chairman Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh said on Monday that Iran is strongly standing against sanctions imposed by the Donald Trump administration.

During a meeting with Veselin Naydenov Mareshki, the vice chairman of the National Assembly of Bulgaria, Falahatpisheh said imposing sanctions is a “defeated policy”.

He also said that Iran has suffered more from U.S. unilateralism than the European countries.

The senior lawmaker also praised efforts by Bulgaria to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Falahatpisheh went on to say that the two countries share close views on international issues and called for expansion of relations and cooperation. 

President Trump unilaterally pulled Washington out of the nuclear deal in May 2018 and ordered reimposition of sanctions against Iran. This happened despite the fact that the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly confirmed that Iran is fully abiding by the terms of the nuclear agreement. U.S. intelligence agencies have also endorsed Iran’s compliance to the deal. 

On January 31, France, Germany and Britain announced the creation of INSTEX, a special purpose vehicle aimed at facilitating legitimate trade between European economic operators and Iran.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said INSTEX will support legitimate European trade with Iran.

Russia and China have also remained publicly committed to the existing accord.

NA/PA