Tehran strengthens military spending and allocates 500 million

The Iranian Parliament has voted for investment growth in missile defense and foreign operations. MPs voted in favor (240 out of 244) with anti-US slogans and songs. Ali Larijani: Response to "terrorist and adventurism" in Washington and in the Middle East.

Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Iranian Parliament (Majlis) voted in favor of investment growth in order to strengthen missile defense and foreign operations programs. The money invested is over $ 500 million. The law, approved by a very large majority of parliamentarians, is a response to the last round of sanctions against Tehran by the American leadership under US President Donald Trump.

Analysts and experts recall how the White House tenant was the first to come out gainst the Islamic Republic, also questioning the historic nuclear agreement reached in 2015 under the Obama administration. The fresh sanctions came as a result of a missile test by Tehran in January.

According to the Iranian leaders, these sanctions violate the 2015 nuclear agreement, judged by Trump's "the worst ever", and which is increasingly fragile. After years of embargo, Iran has obtained a partial lightening of Western economic sanctions, in exchange for the agreement on the controversial atomic program.

With few exceptions like Israel and the US Congress, the international community welcomed the agreement. Despite it, the United States has maintained a number of sanctions because of Tehran's ballistic missile programme, as well as its support for armed Shia groups in the Middle East, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the Assad regime in Syria and Yemen’s Houthi rebels..

Strengthening the budget for the missile program should be voted on for a second time before it can be submitted for final approval. After the approval of first reading by Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, Members of Parliament have erupted into chants and calls, including "death to America".

The first vote went with the favorable opinion of 240 parliamentarians on a total of 244. It provides for an additional 260 million for the "development of the missile program"; The same figure is reserved for the Quds Forces, a special department of the Revolutionary Guards responsible for operations outside the country.

Parliament Speaker Larijani stressed that the move is a response to Washington's "terrorism and adventurism" in the Middle East. The law, in 27 points, also imposes sanctions on the US military and some US intelligence officials operating in the region and does not - according to Tehran - constitute a violation of the nuclear agreement.

Last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned his US counterpart Trump about the risk of a "political suicide" in the event of the cancellation of the agreement.

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