Iran resistance forced US to accept Iran legitimate nuclear demands: Larijani

The speaker of Iran's parliament (Majlis) says Tehran’s resistance during nuclear talks left no way for Washington but to accept Iran’s legitimate demands.

“The Americans continued to bully us even during the negotiations, but ultimately and thank God, the Islamic Republic of Iran managed to fulfill some of its demands and to put several things in the deal which are in our favor,” Ali Larijani said in an interview with CNN broadcast on Tuesday.

He described as “acceptable” the nuclear agreement between Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries, saying Iran’s parliament “will pass its judgment [on the agreement] in a month.”

“In general, I think this is an acceptable agreement. There might be some shortcomings in it, but overall, I think it is a good deal,” the senior Iranian lawmaker added.

Larijani stressed that the conclusion of the nuclear talks can pave the way for more cooperation between Tehran and Washington only in case “the US chooses to adopt a more realistic approach and attitude towards Iran.”

The nuclear agreement “is a beginning for a better understanding for other issues as well - the regional and international issues,” he noted, adding that “because there was not such a proper understanding in the past, there were some challenges between us.”

Tehran and the P5+1 - the US, Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany - finalized the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) over the Iranian nuclear program on July 14.

Under the JCPOA, limits will be put on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all economic and financial bans against the Islamic Republic.

Iranophobic plot

Larijani also touched upon the Iranophobic plot as advertised by some regional countries and US officials, stressing that some of Iran’s neighbors are trying to conceal their own internal problems behind such a plot.

“This is Islamic Republic of Iran’s strategy to have cooperation, coordination and collaboration with its neighbors,” he stated, adding, “If they really want to have lasting security and political stability, they have to enter a kind of cooperation with Iran.”

Syria crisis needs ‘political solution’

Elsewhere in his remarks, Larijani defended Tehran’s strategy with regard to the crisis in Syria, saying Iran “acted very responsibly” by supporting Syria’s legitimate government.

“If it was not for Iranian help in Syria, the terrorists would have advanced even further, and you should have no doubt that Syria would end up in a situation that was much worse than the situation in Libya,” he noted, adding that Tehran also “rushed to the help of Iraqis when they were attacked by Daesh” Takfiris.

Larijani also stressed that a political solution is the only way out of the deadly conflict in Syria, voicing Tehran’s readiness to contribute to such a solution.

The Syrian crisis needs “a solution that is based on democracy and a national reconciliation government in which even the minorities have their rights,” he stated.

Syria has been facing a foreign-backed militancy since 2011. The Daesh militants, who currently control areas across Syria as well as northern and western Iraq, have been carrying out horrific acts of violence, including public decapitations, against Iraqi and Syrian communities such as Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians.

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