Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Iran vows to fight 'deal of the century'

Iran is determined to fight against US Donald Trump's anticipated Arab-Israeli peace plan, parliament speaker Ali Larijani said Tuesday according to semi-official news agency ISNA.
Trump has dubbed his administration's long-awaited plan the "ultimate deal", which has already unsettled the Palestinian Authority although no details have yet been disclosed.
Speaking in Tehran, Larijani said the "deal of the century" was a "plot" between Iran's arch foe Israel and the United States to establish the Jewish state's domination in the Middle East.
 
"We will stand against the regime of Israel and won't let this deal take place in the region," Larijani said at an annual conference on Islamic unity.
 
"If Americans are imposing sanctions on Iran today and are putting pressure on Iran, the reason for it is because Iran has stood against Israel," he added, quoted by ISNA.
 
Earlier this year, Washington pulled out of the international nuclear accord with Iran and reimposed crippling sanctions on Tehran.
 
"In order to achieve their objective they try to create new political arrangements in the region," Larijani said of US-Israeli strategy in the Middle East.
 
The parliament speaker also singled out regional rival Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as he warned countries against normalizing relations with Israel.
 
Countries in the region "should know that they would not benefit at all by letting Netanyahu into their countries", Larijani said.
 
"People in the region, in any country, regard Israel as a cancerous tumor and hate it," he added.
 
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman earlier this year reaffirmed his country's "steadfast" support for the Palestinian Arab cause, after coming under fire for saying both Israelis and Palestinian Arabs "have the right to have their own land".
 
Israel has diplomatic relations with just two Arab states -- Egypt and Jordan -- but Netanyahu has been pushing for broader regional ties.
 
The Israeli premier travelled to Oman in October, while two of his ministers visited the UAE.