By Xinhua

TEHRAN, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian lawmaker, Evaz Heidarpour, has said Washington must not expect any changes in Iran's nuclear policies as they are tied to the country's national interests, Press TV reported on Friday.

"The U.S. must not wait for a change in the Islamic republic's policies on the nuclear program, since Iran has not and will not back down on issues tied to its national interests," Heidarpour, a member of the Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, was quoted as saying.

The United States has no other choice but to recognize the rights of the Iranian nation and revise its policies toward Tehran, Heidarpour said.

The U.S.-engineered sanctions against Iran have nothing to do with Tehran's nuclear energy program, Heidarpour said, adding that "The U.S. has imposed the sanctions to humiliate the Iranian nation."

"Iran is experiencing the most severe kinds of sanctions which cannot be intensified any further; so it can be said that the sanctions have no effective impact on Iran's economy," he argued.

The UN Security Council imposed four rounds of sanctions on Iran between 2006 and 2010 over its refusal to halt its nuclear enrichment program, which Western countries suspect could be used to develop nuclear weapons.

The United States and European Union have imposed and expanded sanctions of their own over the years despite Iran's insistence on the peaceful nature of its nuclear program.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that sanctions on Iran could be "remedied in short order" if the Islamic Republic works sincerely with the international community over its controversial nuclear program.

On Friday, a senior Iranian cleric said the Iranian nation will resist the West's ongoing economic pressure and overcome their " economic war," semi-official Fars news agency reported.

The Islamic republic will not surrender to pressure, Tehran's interim Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said, adding that "the global arrogance will fail in its all-out economic war against Iran."

"These pressure won't last. The Iranian nation has experienced how to live with problems, but they (Western powers) don't have this experience," he was quoted as saying.

On Tuesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the West has launched an "economic battle" against the Islamic republic.

On Wednesday, Supreme Leader of Islamic republic Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that sanctions and pressure cannot force the Iranian nation to surrender as the Iranians have always withstood pressure and grown more powerful.

Also, Iranian parliament's presiding board member Abdolreza Mesri said Friday that the West must acknowledge that the sanctions against the Islamic republic were "wrong from the very basis," Fars reported.

Mesri said that Iran has always been open to dialogue over its nuclear energy program.

On Friday, Hossein Sobhaninia, another member of Iran's parliament's presiding board, said that Western sanctions have been imposed on Iran to force the Islamic republic to abandon its "inalienable right to use peaceful nuclear energy," Press TV reported.

"What Westerners are pursuing with sanctions against Iran is hurting (the country's) economic programs, creating discontent among people, and ultimately convincing Iran to give in to their demands and give up its nuclear and enrichment programs," Sobhaninia was quoted as saying.

Sobhaninia added that diplomatic negotiations between Iran and the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany -- the so-called P5+1 -- is a logical way to reduce sensitivities regarding Iran's nuclear energy program.

Iran has held three rounds of talks with the P5+1 over its uranium enrichment program since mid-April, but made no breakthrough.

On Friday, Press TV also quoted Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Commander Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi as saying that any military attacks on Iran "will result in a heavy defeat for the aggressors."

"Iran has acquired such a capability that the aggressor forces will suffer an unbelievable and crushing defeat in case of any attack or intervention," Fadavi was quoted as saying.

"Iran has not recognized the power of the global arrogance even for a moment since the victory of the Islamic revolution in 1979," he said.

The enemy seeks to confront Iran by imposing economic and political sanctions and desecrating Islamic sanctities, he said, adding that the enemy does not dare to have a direct confrontation with Iranian forces.

The United States and Israel have not ruled out the possibility of a strike on Iran's nuclear energy facilities.

The United States and its Western allies believe Iran is working toward a nuclear weapon capability. Tehran denies that, saying its atomic program is "peaceful."

 

The Iran Project is not responsible for the content of quoted articles.