TEHRAN – The Iranian parliament will hold a session on Sunday to discuss a reciprocal motion against the United States for its anti-Iran sanctions.

Hossein Naghavi Hosseini, the spokesman for the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told IRNA news agency on Saturday that the motion consists of a number of recent reciprocal measures taken by the parliament against Washington’s hostile behavior towards the Islamic Republic.

Tension between Iran and the U.S. has intensified over past several months since Donald Trump, who promised to take a harsher tone against Iran, became president. Since assuming office, he has accused Iran of supporting terrorism and called on regional Arab states to take action against what he called Iran's unfavorable regional role.

Tehran and Washington disagree on some other issues as well, including the implementation of the nuclear agreement, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was reached in July 2015 between Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China – plus Germany and the European Union.

Two weeks ago, the U.S. Senate voted for a legislation to impose non-nuclear sanctions on Iran for developing its missile program and over allegations of support for terrorism and human rights violations.

In order for the new Senate bill to become law, it must also pass the U.S. House of Representatives and be signed by Trump. The bill, if ratified, will target the individuals and entities linked to Iran's missile activities.

“The Americans continue with their hostile, hateful and aggressive behavior against our nation,” Naghavi Hosseini said, referring to Senate’s new sanctions against Tehran.

He further said the Islamic Republic will respond to such aggressive behavior.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, has also slammed the U.S. for its anti-Iran move.

Boroujerdi underlined that his country will not be the first side of the nuclear deal to violate the JCPOA, adding that Tehran will, nevertheless, stand up to Americans’ greed.

He also stressed that Iran’s missile program is of deterrent nature intended to bolster the country’s defensive capabilities.

During the Thursday meeting of the United Nation Security Council, the U.S. envoy slammed the Security Council for failing to take any action against Iran, which she claimed had “repeatedly and deliberately violated” sanctions imposed by the world body.

“The Security Council has failed to even take minimal steps to respond to these violations,” Haley told a council briefing on Iran. “We must ... show Iran that we will not tolerate their egregious flaunting of UN resolutions.”

This is while the UN political chief Jeffrey Feltman, EU Ambassador to the world body Joao Vale de Almeida, and envoys from all the signatories to the deal – except Washington – verified Tehran’s adherence to its commitment under the accord.

Feltman told the council that the International Atomic Energy Agency had issued seven reports, the latest in early June, documenting Iran's continued implementation of its nuclear-related commitments.

MH/PA