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.
LANDMARK CASE: ‘Every night we were dragged to US soldiers and sexually abused. Every week we were forced to undergo venereal disease tests,’ a victim said More than 100 South Korean women who were forced to work as prostitutes for US soldiers stationed in the country have filed a landmark lawsuit accusing Washington of abuse, their lawyers said yesterday. Historians and activists say tens of thousands of South Korean women worked for state-sanctioned brothels from the 1950s to 1980s, serving US troops stationed in country to protect the South from North Korea. In 2022, South Korea’s top court ruled that the government had illegally “established, managed and operated” such brothels for the US military, ordering it to pay about 120 plaintiffs compensation. Last week, 117 victims
China on Monday announced its first ever sanctions against an individual Japanese lawmaker, targeting China-born Hei Seki for “spreading fallacies” on issues such as Taiwan, Hong Kong and disputed islands, prompting a protest from Tokyo. Beijing has an ongoing spat with Tokyo over islands in the East China Sea claimed by both countries, and considers foreign criticism on sensitive political topics to be acts of interference. Seki, a naturalised Japanese citizen, “spread false information, colluded with Japanese anti-China forces, and wantonly attacked and smeared China”, foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters on Monday. “For his own selfish interests, (Seki)
Argentine President Javier Milei on Sunday vowed to “accelerate” his libertarian reforms after a crushing defeat in Buenos Aires provincial elections. The 54-year-old economist has slashed public spending, dismissed tens of thousands of public employees and led a major deregulation drive since taking office in December 2023. He acknowledged his party’s “clear defeat” by the center-left Peronist movement in the elections to the legislature of Buenos Aires province, the country’s economic powerhouse. A deflated-sounding Milei admitted to unspecified “mistakes” which he vowed to “correct,” but said he would not be swayed “one millimeter” from his reform agenda. “We will deepen and accelerate it,” he
Japan yesterday heralded the coming-of-age of Japanese Prince Hisahito with an elaborate ceremony at the Imperial Palace, where a succession crisis is brewing. The nephew of Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Hisahito received a black silk-and-lacquer crown at the ceremony, which marks the beginning of his royal adult life. “Thank you very much for bestowing the crown today at the coming-of-age ceremony,” Hisahito said. “I will fulfill my duties, being aware of my responsibilities as an adult member of the imperial family.” Although the emperor has a daughter — Princess Aiko — the 23-year-old has been sidelined by the royal family’s male-only
RSS