Britain should cease interventionist policy toward Iran: Larijani

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has called on the British government to drastically change its interventionist approach toward Iran’s domestic issues if it really seeks a new beginning in relations with Tehran.

“The British government’s behavior concerning on-off interference in Iran’s internal affairs in the past should change and Iranian people should not feel that Britain’s approach toward them is unfriendly and ambiguous” said Larijani in a meeting Monday with visiting British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in Tehran.

The top lawmaker further slammed certain Western governments for adopting double standards in dealing with important issues such as human rights and the fight against terrorism, narcotics, and foreign occupation, saying those who created Takfiri terrorism and provided arms and weapons to terror groups should now take responsibility for their wrong policies.

The British foreign secretary, for his part, admitted the fact that Britain has a negative record in the minds of Iranians, saying, however, that no one should be stalled in the past and there must be a move forward.

Hammond also hailed a July 14 nuclear agreement between Iran and six global powers, saying that the world has come to understand that Tehran is making strides to improve its relations with governments around the world.

Hammond said the reopening of the British embassy in Tehran, which he supervised on Sunday, was a new step in opening up new horizons in relations between the two countries.

The top diplomat also urged more parliamentary cooperation and dialog between Iranian and British lawmakers in various fields, including the fight against IS and narcotics.

Hammond arrived in Tehran on Sunday in a first such visit by a British foreign secretary since 2003. In his two-day trip, he held meetings with President Rouhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani, Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.