(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - A senior Lebanese cleric says the West's mounting threats against Iran and the US-led push for an embargo on Iranian oil exports are simply meant to ensure the Israeli regime's security in the Middle East.
Leader of Lebanon's Islamic Unification Movement Hashem Minqara said Saturday that US President Barack Obama endorsed new sanctions against Iran only because Tehran does not give into the demands made by certain Western states, and continues to support the Palestinian cause in the face of Israeli threats.
On December 31, President Obama signed into law fresh economic sanctions against Iran's Central Bank in an apparent bid to punish foreign companies and banks that do business with the Iranian financial institution.
The bill requires foreign financial firms to make a choice between doing business with Iran's Central Bank and oil sector or with the US financial sector.
The legislation will not take effect for six months in a bid to provide oil markets with time to adjust.
Energy experts say the sanctions could lead to a major hike in crude oil prices and disrupt the interests of the US and its allies that depend on oil imports from Iran.
Minqara censured US expansionist polices and Washington's intervention in the domestic affairs of regional states, warning American officials of the adverse and extra-regional consequences of US interventionist policies in the Middle East.
He turned to the prowess of Lebanese and Palestinian resistance movements, stressing that they can defend the interests of Muslim nations against the West.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the senior Lebanese cleric pointed to Israel's subversive activities in the Arab World and its attempts to Judaize al-Quds (Jerusalem), saying Israel is exploiting the recent Arab developments to attain its owns goals.
Minqara called on Muslim nations not to overlook conspiracies hatched by the Israeli regime, and urged them to exercise vigilance to counter Israel's measures taken against Palestinians and the occupied Palestinian territories.
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8 January 2012 - 20:30
News ID: 289556
A senior Lebanese cleric says the West's mounting threats against Iran and the US-led push for an embargo on Iranian oil exports are simply meant to ensure the Israeli regime's security in the Middle East.
