Iranian Parliament Prepares Bill to Support Anti-US Research Centers

Iranian lawmakers have devised a bill to require the government to financially and spiritually support the think-tanks and universities active in research on the US and ways to confront its hegemonic policies.

Given the US hostile policies and the economic, social and cultural damages inflicted by Washington on Iran’s national interests, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s government is required to support the think-tanks, institutes and universities that conduct research on how to confront the US hegemonic and arrogant policies, the bill says.

According to the bill, the government’s support should include both financial and spiritual assistance.

Many US think-tanks are carrying research on the situation in Iran and collaborating with the White House in imposing the toughest sanctions against the country.

Last month, the Iranian foreign ministry denounced the US think-tank, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, for involvement in Washington’s economic terrorism against the Iranian nation, and announced that Tehran would impose sanctions against the hawkish entity according to the “Law on Countering Violation of Human Rights and Adventurous and Terrorist Activities of the US in the Region”.

The Foreign Ministry referred to the FDD as “the American institution acting under deceitful name ‘The Foundation for Defense of Democracies’”, and added that the think tank and its CEO Mark Dubowitz had been playing a key role in the anti-Iran policies of the administration of US President Donald Trump with spreading disinformation and fabricating false claims against Tehran.

According to the announcement, FDD and Dubowitz “have deliberately and knowingly” been engaged in designing and operationalizing sanctions which are “damaging the security and vital interests of the people of Iran” with “activities such as fabrication and spreading of false information, encouraging, provision of advice, lobbying and smear campaigns”.

It underlined that “the unilateral and unlawful economic terrorism (or the so-called economic sanctions) imposed by the United States government” are aimed at “regime change” in Iran and “harming national and public security and damaging independence, territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Iran”.

The Foreign Ministry pinned the blame on Washington and its apparatuses like the FDD for “endangering lives, health and freedom of people including freedom of legitimate business domestically and internationally, damaging public property and facilities, serious harm to the environment, risking the aerial and maritime safety etc. in an extensive and severe manner”.

It added that such hostile policies and harsh measures “have amounted to the level of full scale economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people”.

The announcement cited the “Law on Countering Violation of Human Rights and Adventurous and Terrorist Activities of the United States in the Region” passed on August 13, 2017, as the legal base for imposing sanctions on the FDD and its CEO whose ideas are believed to underlie many of Trump’s policies.

“The abovementioned persons will be subject to legal consequences enumerated in Articles 6 to 8 of the said law” the Foreign Ministry asserted.

Early in August, Dubowitz took to his Twitter page, claiming that “Zarif should be immediately expelled for legal reasons … for using a platform like Twitter”.