IFP- An Iranian legislator says US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s new plan seeks to maintain the Iran nuclear deal, and at the same time take a tougher line on Tehran.

Iranian parliamentarian Mohammad-Javad Jamali Nobandegani blasted the new plan put forward by Tillerson, saying that it aims to maintain the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of action (JCPOA), and at the same time adopt tighter measures vis-à-vis Iran.

“Such decisions show the United States’ failure to put in place a well-organized diplomacy because at a certain time they announce they will stay in the JCPOA, and at another time say they will tear it up,” said the MP, according to a Farsi report by ICANA.

He said one of Washington’s policies against Iran has been to deprive the country of the benefits of the JCPOA.

“Iran has always made good on its commitments under the JCPOA, but they (US authorities) haven’t done anything in that regard, and seek to dampen the positive effects of the nuclear deal,” the lawmaker said.

He said the US uses topics such as the Middle East security, Iran’s alleged support for terrorism, the country’s missile industry, etc. as pretexts, saying, “It should be acknowledged that everybody knows that the Takfiri ISIS terrorist group was created and is supported by the US.”

The legislator underlined that the Americans seek to disintegrate and create insecurity in the Middle East.

“This comes as Iran has always contributed to regional peace and stability and has even offered advisory assistance to countries such as Syria and Iraq at their own request and has helped safeguard the territorial integrity and security of those countries,” The MP said.

He said history has not forgotten that it was the United States, not Iran, that used atomic bombs.

“By seeking pretexts, the Americans want to reduce the international community’s negative reactions against themselves and decrease any further political-social costs of taking more actions against our country,” Nobandegani added.

Mojtaba Zonouri, another Iranian MP, said withdrawal from the JCPOA will have costs for the US in the international community, so Tillerson’s new plan is a strategy to prevent this and to take Europeans on board with taking hostile actions against Iran.

Lawmaker Jalal Mirzaee also underlined that the new plan presented by Tillerson and the US Congress aims to set the stage for taking Europe on board with adopting hostile actions against Tehran over issues not related to the JCPOA.