TEHRAN- The unfavorable provisions in the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023 have been condemned by Tehran, which maintains that this demonstrates Washington's “hostile, provocative and meddling policies” against the Islamic Republic and is consistent with efforts to foment “Iranophobia”.

Nasser Kanaani, a spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said in a statement on Thursday that the erroneous accusations against Iran's regional actions show that Washington is still playing a harmful and unsettling role in the Persian Gulf and larger West Asia.

Pointing to Washington’s unilateral pullout from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018, Kanaani said, "The U.S. administration violated international norms and values. The erroneous claims against Iran's peaceful nuclear program are repeated in the Act."

Despite the fact that Iran has not benefited from its own “full rights” under the terms of the agreement, the Islamic Republic has contributed to maintaining the JCPOA via diplomatic endeavors and flexibility, the Foreign Ministry official remarked. 

As a signatory to the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran is aware of its “rights and responsibilities,” he noted. 

He added, “Attempts to justify the United States' unlawful and unilateral measures and sanctions on the Islamic Republic by making unfounded claims about Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities will undoubtedly fail. Iran has demonstrated that it would not yield to the justification of force.” 

The spokesman reiterated Tehran’s long-held position that it opposes development of nuclear weapons, saying, “The Islamic Republic has repeatedly reaffirmed that the development of nuclear weapons has no place in its military policy.”

Additionally, he stated that Washington’s unwavering support for the Zionist regime's covert atomic program and its status as the sole nuclear weapons possessor in West Asia pose the gravest dangers to regional peace and security and the greatest obstacle to the global non-proliferation regime.

He said, “This is a prime illustration of the duplicity, double standards, and discriminatory practices of various U.S. administrations.”

Kanaani further stated that cooperation between Iran and foreign countries, including in areas of conventional defense, "lies within the framework of common interests and mutual advantages, is in compliance with international rights and duties, and is not directed against any other country."

"The U.S., on the other hand, has signed several military and defense cooperation agreements in the region, and its numerous military bases imperil regional peace and security," the Iranian official stated.