Iran’s legislature yesterday voted overwhelmingly to increase spending on its ballistic missile program and the foreign operations of its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, chanting “Death to America” in a direct challenge to Washington’s sanctions.
The vote comes amid growing anger in Iran over US President Donald Trump’s threats to renegotiate the nuclear deal struck with world powers in 2015.
In a session yesterday, 240 lawmakers voted for the bill, with only one abstention from the 247 legislators on hand, Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA reported.
Photo: AP
The bill now heads to an oversight committee called the Guardian Council, which is expected to approve it.
Abbas Araghchi, a deputy foreign minister and senior nuclear negotiator on hand for the vote, said moderate Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s government would support the bill.
“The bill has very wisely tried not to violate the [nuclear deal] and also gives no chance to the other party to manipulate it,” he said.
Under terms of the bill, about US$800 million would be put toward several projects, including the Iranian Ministry of Defense and its intelligence agencies. Among the agencies receiving money would be the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds force, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The bill also imposes a visa and travel ban on US military and security organizations and their commanders who have provided financial, intelligence, military, logistic and training support to terrorists in the region, naming the Islamic State group and the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda.
Iranian officials often accuse the US of being involved with both groups.
The bill also includes banning visas for US officials involved with the Iranian exile group called the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq.
Prominent US lawmakers and politicians have met with the group and spoken at its rallies, and it has paid one of Trump’s Cabinet members and at least one adviser for giving such speeches.
IRNA also said the money would be used to develop nuclear propellers.
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