Chairman of Iran's Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has criticized the United States for its double-standard policies toward the Islamic Republic.During a Sunday meeting with former European Union foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, in Tehran, Rafsanjani denounced double-standard approaches taken by US administration and the House of Representatives as dubious, adding that no negotiations could come to fruition with threats and sanctions.
He also highlighted that a new era has started in Irans foreign policy based on mutual respect and trust.
Earlier in the day, Iranian President Hassan Rohani called on Western governments to stop using the language of sanctions to address the country.
I say candidly that if you want a proper response, speak to Iran not with the language of sanctions but with the language of respect, Rohani said in his inauguration ceremony in the Iranian Majlis (parliament).
The new chief executive noted that the only way for interaction with Iran is dialog on equal footing, mutual confidence-building, mutual respect and reduction of hostilities.
The US has imposed several rounds of illegal sanctions on Iran, which Washington claims to be aimed at pressuring Tehran to abandon its nuclear energy program.
In its latest measure against Iran, the US House of Representatives approved a bill last Wednesday to impose tougher sanctions on Tehrans oil exports and financial sector.
The bill, which must be approved by the Senate and signed by President Barack Obama to become law, seeks to cut Iran's oil exports by one million barrels per day over a year.
The United States, Israel, and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.
Iran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear 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.
In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Irans nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence showing that Irans civilian nuclear program has been diverted to nuclear weapons production.
By Press TV
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