TEHRAN - Ali Akbar Velayati, the senior foreign policy advisor to the Leader, said on Saturday that the Senate’s vote for extending the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) for another 10 years is a “revenge” against Iran for its achievements.

“Achievements of Iran and the axis of resistance in the region [Middle East region] have made the U.S. and its defeated friends in the region angry and led to extension of sanctions against Iran,” he told reporters after a meeting with the Russian president’s special envoy in Middle East affairs Alexander Lavrentiev.

Velayati said, “This action of them [the U.S. senators] violates the JCPOA [the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], because Iran was supposed to accept nuclear restrictions for a certain period of time in return for removal of unfair sanctions against us in the area of economy.”

Iran will counter any violation of the JCPOA and is ready to take retaliatory actions, he added.

According to Reuters, the ISA was first adopted in 1996 to punish investments in Iran’s energy industry. The extension was passed unanimously on Thursday. The ISA was first approved by the House of Representatives. 

Top Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, have said the renewal of the sanctions will erode trust on the U.S. in the world.

NA/PA