Iran cannot be isolated by sanctions: MP

A senior Iranian lawmaker says the country could never be isolated due its historical and geographical position.

“Some big countries are trying to pressure Iran by imposing sanctions, but given its historical and geographical conditions the country is one which cannot be isolated,” Head of Iran’s Majlis Research Center Kazem Jalali said.

He made the remarks in a meeting with the Chairman of the South Korean parliamentary Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee, Ahn Hong-joon on Saturday.

Commenting on the West’s standoff with Iran over its nuclear energy program, Jalali said that the issue must be pursued within a legal framework, without any political motivation.

“Despite all of Iran cooperation with the IAEA and proving the peaceful nature of its nuclear activities, unfortunately Westerners did not fulfill their obligations [in line with] previous rounds of talks and have thereby contributed to the air of distrust,” the lawmaker added.

The Iranian lawmaker reaffirmed Tehran’s interest on having joint cooperation and interaction with all countries in different sectors.

“International issues should not affect the growing relations between Iran and South Korea,” Jalali added.

Ahn, for his part, pointed to the importance of Iran-South Korea relations and denounced Western sanctions against Iran.

The US, Israel and some of their allies falsely claim that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with Washington and the European Union using the unfounded allegation as a pretext to impose illegal sanctions on Iran.

Tehran strongly rejects the groundless claim over its nuclear energy activities, maintaining that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.