On Thursday, the European Parliament passed a resolution on the EU strategy toward Iran, expressing concern over the alleged human rights violations in the country.
It also claimed that Iran’s presidential election in June 2013, which was marked by a high voter turnout and led to the victory of President Hassan Rouhani, was “not held according to the democratic standards valued by the EU.”
In one of its articles, the resolution also said any future visit to Iran by European Parliament delegations should be subjected to meeting what it said were “members of the political opposition and civil society activists, and to having access to political prisoners.”
“The government will not allow any parliamentary delegation from Europe to travel to Iran on the conditions included in this European Parliament’s resolution,” Zarif said in a meeting with members of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee on Sunday.
“The European Parliament is not in a position and does not have the moral authority to be able to express views about the situation in other countries,” he added.
It is obvious that the EP lacks the legitimacy to advise others on observing human rights, he emphasized.
“Europeans must know that the great and civilized Iranian nation seeks interaction with other countries based on mutual respect and an equal footing, and will not accept insulting and interfering attitude by any movement and country,” Zarif said.
Iran has credible information that pro-Israeli lobbies are making great efforts and raising false issues to sabotage “Iran’s positive and constructive negotiations with the P5+1 group” on the country’s nuclear energy program, he added.
The Iranian minister, however, noted that the Israeli regime’s plots would fail in light of the prudence, foresight and vigilance of all negotiating countries.
Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – Russia, China, France, Britain and the US – plus Germany are in talks with the purpose of sealing a final deal on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program.
The two sides reached an interim deal on November 24, 2013, in the Swiss city of Geneva to set the stage for the full settlement of the dispute over Iran’s program. The deal took effect on January 20.
SHI/SHI