Parliament to Block Improvement in Iran-Britain Ties: MP
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iranian lawmaker said British Prime Minister David Cameron’s anti-Iran comments at the UN General Assembly prompted the country’s legislature to disallow a rise in the level of diplomatic ties between Tehran and London.
“Given the British prime minister’s insult to the Iranian nation, the Majlis (Iran’s parliament) will never allow for an upgrade in the level of relations between Iran and Britain above the status quo,” Vice-Chairman of the Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mansour Haqiqatpour told the Tasnim News Agency on Tuesday.
He was referring to the remarks made by Cameron, who said in the UN address that Iran should change its policies regarding “support for terrorist organizations, its nuclear program, (and) its treatment of its people.”
“As long as Britain is being led by such incompetent individuals, we will never raise the level of our relations” with London, Haqiqatpour said.
The British premier’s comments have also drawn criticism by the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who slammed on Monday the comments as “incorrect and unacceptable.”
Tehran-London relations became tense three years ago. On November 27, 2011, a large majority of Iranian lawmakers voted to downgrade diplomatic ties with Britain, following Britain's decision to impose sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran.
Later, a group of angry Iranian students stormed the British embassy in Tehran and pulled down that country’s flag.
Following the incident, Britain withdrew its diplomatic staff from the country on November 30 and asked Iran’s diplomatic delegation in London to leave within 48 hours.
Iran and Britain agreed in October last year to appoint non-resident chargé d’affaires as a first step towards reopening their respective embassies.
