US must not expect change in Iran's nuclear policies

A senior Iranian lawmaker said Washington must not expect any change in Iran's nuclear policies as they are tied to the country's national interests, Press TV reported on Friday. "The U.S. must not wait for a change in the Islamic republic's policies on the nuclear program, since Iran has not and will not back down on issues tied to its national interests," Evaz Heidarpour, a member of the Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, was quoted as saying. The United States has no other choice but to recognize the rights of the Iranian nation and revise its policies toward Tehran, Heidarpour was quoted as saying. The U.S.-engineered sanctions against Iran have nothing to do with Tehran's nuclear energy program, Heidarpour said, adding that "The U.S. has imposed the sanctions to humiliate the Iranian nation." "Iran is experiencing the most severe kinds of sanctions which cannot be intensified any further; so it can be said that the sanctions have no effective impact on Iran's economy," he argued. The UN Security Council imposed four rounds of sanctions on Iran between 2006 and 2010 over its refusal to halt its nuclear enrichment program, which Western countries suspect could be used to develop nuclear weapons. The United States and European Union have imposed and expanded sanctions of their own over the years despite Iran's insistence on the peaceful nature of its nuclear program. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that sanctions on Iran could be "remedied in short order" if the Islamic Republic works sincerely with the international community over its controversial nuclear program.