Iran commission votes to cut UK ties

Iranian lawmaker Mohammad Karami-Rad

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/156182.html


The National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) has decided to sever all ties with the United Kingdom.

A member of the commission Mohammad Karami-Rad told Press TV on Sunday that lawmakers had voted after hours of deliberation to fully cut ties with Britain.

"Members of the commission brought up very important and serious issues [in their Sunday meeting] regarding a single-urgency motion to sever ties with Britain," said the parliamentarian.

"The commissioners also condemned recent remarks by the British ambassador to Tehran (Simon Gass) and reviewed the British government's other hostile acts throughout history against our country," said the lawmaker.

He said the motion will be put to a final vote by all lawmakers before it is approved.

Iran has considered breaking off relations with Britain several times because of London's meddlesome and undiplomatic approach vis-à-vis Tehran.

A recent case of London's double standards regarding Iran was the remarks made by the British ambassador to Tehran who, in a web posting, accused Iran of violating human rights.

"Today, International Human Rights Day is highlighting the cases of those people around the world who stand up for the rights of others -- the lawyers, journalists and NGO workers who place themselves at risk to defend their countrymen. Nowhere are they under greater threat than in Iran," claimed the British diplomat in questionable comments posted on the website of the British Embassy in Tehran on December 9.

"Since last year human rights defenders have been harassed and imprisoned," he added.

Gass' brazen remarks came at a time when the British government was brutally cracking down on student protests in the UK.

The students, who were simply expressing their objection to tuition fee hikes, had been severely assaulted and arrested by the British police.

A senior Iranian lawmaker also implicated Britain in two terror attacks in the port city of Chabahar in southeastern Iran last Wednesday which left at least 38 people killed and around 90 wounded.

“Past experience has proven that the US and UK intelligence services are behind crimes such as the Wednesday morning crime in Chabahar,” Chairman of the Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi said.

The mourners were commemorating the anniversary of the martyrdom of the third Shia Imam, Hussein (PBUH).

Back in May, Iranian parliamentary spokesman Kazem Jalali accused Britain of instigating Iranophobia and denounced London's meddling in the issue of the three Persian Gulf islands of Lesser Tunb, Greater Tunb and Abu Musa.