TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday that the people’s participation in parliamentary elections is the “biggest reinforcement of diplomacy” to counter the United States’ policies.

The comments by Zarif came two days before the parliamentary elections.

Zarif also wished that the Guardian Council would have approved more parliament hopefuls.

“We all had other preferences. Maybe we thought if eligibility of more candidates was confirmed, the people would have more options. However, today is not the time for such issue. Today is the time to tell the United States that its policy of maximum pressure has failed,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting.

He added, “As the Leader stated, the United States must see and know that its sanctions have been ineffective and the people participate in the elections.”

He also said that as the people showed in funeral of General Qassem Soleimani that they do not tolerate the U.S. coercion and defend their country, their participation in the elections will be the “best sign of this defense”.

On Tuesday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, “The enemy’s aim is separating the Iranian youth from the Islamic establishment; of course, similar to the Bahman 22 rallies (Feb. 11) and martyr General Qassem Soleimani’s funeral ceremonies, the enemy’s evil objectives in the election day won’t be materialized too.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said that both the enemies and friends of Iran will monitor participation of the people in the elections.

The Leader added that the enemies want to see the results of their pressure on Iran and the country’s friends are monitoring the process of elections worriedly.

Zarif also said that the people’s participation in the elections will strengthen his team in arena of foreign policy and help them counter the U.S. sanctions more resolutely. 

‘Meeting with U.S. senators is not something new’

Zarif also said that meeting with the U.S. senators is not something new.

“This issue shows the fact that how much Trump and Pompeo are fearful when a United States’ senator comes and hears the realities from the foreign minister of Iran,” he said.

Zarif met with a delegation of Democratic congressmen headed by Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy on Saturday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

NA/PA