Iran's parliament approved the outline of a bill yesterday that requires the government to resume uranium enrichment -- an issue of national pride that provides a rare point of agreement between conservatives and reformers in Iranian politics.
Shouts of "Death to America!" rang out from lawmakers in the conservative-dominated parliament after the unanimous vote.
Washington has been Iran's prime adversary in its quest to become a nuclear nation, which Tehran maintains is for purely peaceful nuclear energy purposes. The US, which has secured some support from European nations, accuses Iran of trying to build nuclear weapons.
Lawmakers stood up to show their "yes" vote for the bill, details of which would be discussed at a later date.
"The unanimous and resolute vote of the lawmakers ... is the voice of the Iranian parliament and nation," parliament speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel said, drawing the anti-American shouts.
Immediately after the draft legislation was approved in an open session of parliament, Haddad Adel called the vote a message to Iranians and the world.
"The message of the absolute vote for the Iranian nation is that the parliament supports national interests," he said.
"And the message for the outside world is that the parliament won't give in to coercion," he added amid shouts of "Allahu akbar!" or God is great.
Iran repeatedly has rejected a long-term suspension of all uranium enrichment-related activities being sought by the international community. Iranian nuclear negotiators have been meeting with officials from Britain, France and Germany, but a second round of talks ended last week without agreement.
At the talks in Vienna, Austria, the three key European powers had offered Iran a trade deal and peaceful nuclear technology -- including a light-water research reactor -- in return for assurances that the country will stop uranium enrichment indefinitely.
Uranium enriched to a low level can be used to produce nuclear fuel, and enriched further can be used to make atomic weapons.
Washington has called for the UN Security Council to study Iran's situation for possible economic sanctions if Tehran doesn't give up all uranium enrichment activities before a Nov. 25 meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
A date for discussing details of the legislation was not set.
PRECARIOUS RELATIONS: Commentators in Saudi Arabia accuse the UAE of growing too bold, backing forces at odds with Saudi interests in various conflicts A Saudi Arabian media campaign targeting the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has deepened the Gulf’s worst row in years, stoking fears of a damaging fall-out in the financial heart of the Middle East. Fiery accusations of rights abuses and betrayal have circulated for weeks in state-run and social media after a brief conflict in Yemen, where Saudi airstrikes quelled an offensive by UAE-backed separatists. The United Arab Emirates is “investing in chaos and supporting secessionists” from Libya to Yemen and the Horn of Africa, Saudi Arabia’s al-Ekhbariya TV charged in a report this week. Such invective has been unheard of
US President Donald Trump on Saturday warned Canada that if it concludes a trade deal with China, he would impose a 100 percent tariff on all goods coming over the border. Relations between the US and its northern neighbor have been rocky since Trump returned to the White House a year ago, with spats over trade and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney decrying a “rupture” in the US-led global order. During a visit to Beijing earlier this month, Carney hailed a “new strategic partnership” with China that resulted in a “preliminary, but landmark trade agreement” to reduce tariffs — but
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) purge of his most senior general is driven by his effort to both secure “total control” of his military and root out corruption, US Ambassador to China David Perdue said told Bloomberg Television yesterday. The probe into Zhang Youxia (張又俠), Xi’s second-in-command, announced over the weekend, is a “major development,” Perdue said, citing the family connections the vice chair of China’s apex military commission has with Xi. Chinese authorities said Zhang was being investigated for suspected serious discipline and law violations, without disclosing further details. “I take him at his word that there’s a corruption effort under
China executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including “key members” of telecom scam operations, state media reported yesterday, as Beijing toughens its response to the sprawling, transnational industry. Fraud compounds where scammers lure Internet users into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments have flourished across Southeast Asia, including in Myanmar. Initially largely targeting Chinese speakers, the criminal groups behind the compounds have expanded operations into multiple languages to steal from victims around the world. Those conducting the scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals forced to work. In the past few years, Beijing has stepped up cooperation
RSS