Iran’s parliament chanted ‘death to America’ on Sunday following a vote to increase ballistic missile production and boost the number of Revolutionary Guards in response to U.S. sanctions, less than a year after president Obama sent $1.7 billion in Euros, Swiss francs, and other foreign currencies strapped to pallets in exchange for U.S. hostages.
The vote to boost defense spending by US $520 million – less than one 10th of 1 percent of the $600 billion U.S. defense budget, was cast to counter “terrorist and adventurous actions” by the United States in the region, and will also be used to boost the ranks of Revolutionary Guards.
Per Iran’s state-run news agency PressTV:
The measure came after President Donald Trump signed into law a bill passed by US Congress to impose new sanctions on Iran over its missile program in early August.
Washington’s new sanctions violate a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran both “in letter and spirit.” Tehran says its missile program does not breach a UN resolution which endorsed the nuclear deal.
Devising the Sunday motion, the Parliament took great care not to violate the nuclear accord and provide excuses for opposing sides, spokesman for Parliament’s Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy Hossein Naqavi Hosseini said.
In addition to military spending, Iran’s resolution tasks their Foreign, Intel, and Defense agencies with producing a comprehensive strategic plan aimed at countering “U.S. threats and bullying.”
Per RT:
While the Trump administration acknowledges that Tehran has not violated the nuclear agreement, in July the US still imposed new sanctions on companies and individuals allegedly supporting or involved in the country’s ballistic missile program.
The US and Iranian militaries have also been engaged in confrontations in the Persian Gulf. On August 8, an Iranian drone buzzed a US Navy fighter jet attempting to land on an aircraft carrier in the area. In July, American warships were involved in two incidents, firing warning shots at Iranian vessels in the Persian Gulf. Both incidents were blasted by Tehran as “unprofessional and provocative.”
How does Iran really think this is going to go?
