Senior MP Asks Europe to Take Iranian President's Warning Seriously

TEHRAN (defapress)- Chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh underlined the necessity for the European states to help Iran develop and live through the US sanctions, warning weakening Iran would mean more troubles for them.

News ID: 74243

Date: 10 December 2018 - 13:41

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned on Saturday that the US sanctions on Iran harm his country's fight against drug trafficking and will open doors to illegal drugs into western countries.

"By making Iran weaker through sanctions, many people will not be safe. Those who do not believe what we say had better look at the map," Rouhani said.

Falahatpisheh advised the western states, specially the Europeans, to take President Rouhani's warning seriously, saying, "They should know that development, and not security, is our redline as Iranians protect their security in any conditions; the country has even protected the regional and global security."

"The Europeans should take the Iranian president's warning seriously that if these redlines that pertain to our development are not respected, many insecurities that Iran has prevented will reach their borders," he added.

Iran's strategic location between Afghanistan and Europe plays a significant role in fighting drug trafficking

Its 900-kilometer common border with Afghanistan has been used as the main conduit for trafficking Afghan drugs to narcotics kingpins in Europe.

According to a United Nations report, Afghanistan is considered a major source of opium, morphine and heroin for Iran, Pakistan , India and Central Asia. It is also the main source of heroin in Europe.

In 2018, Iran's anti-narcotics police forces seized more than 330 tons of illicit drugs across the country.

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