“Today, IRGC is a thorn in the eyes of the US and regarding the recent events, Israel, Saudi Arabia and other enemies have found out that Iran will harshly and swiftly answer their oppressiveness,” he added.

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“Some imagine they could rely on the Europeans when America withdraws from the JCPOA,” he said in a Thursday meeting of the assembly, censuring Europe for dragging its feet on adopting practical measures to save the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement following the U.S.’s withdrawal.

The senior cleric said he thought the Islamic Republic will ultimately have to “set fire” to the deal, referring to Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s statement in June 2016, who said if the U.S. tore the deal, as they had threatened, the Islamic Republic would set fire to it.

“The Europeans are however dragging their feet and would do nothing in our interest,” Jannati said. “The Europeans are worse than the Americans. If not, they are not any better.”

In May 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew his country from the JCPOA in defiance of objections from the entire international community.

In response, Iran’s other partners in the deal, especially Washington’s own allies, stressed their commitment to the deal and vowed efforts to compensate for the U.S.’s absence and keep the deal in effort.

In turn, Iran said it would only stay in the deal if the Europeans manage to make sure Tehran will be able to collect the economic dividends of the JCPOA when the U.S. leaves and unleashes fresh economic pressure against the Islamic Republic.

Following Washington’s exit, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “The European sides are obligated to provide necessary guarantees with regard to the JCPOA, but the country’s economy must not be tied to this issue.”

The European Union has promised to set up the so-called special purpose vehicle (SPV), a payment mechanism aimed at facilitating business with Iran irrespective of the U.S. bans.

The 28-nation bloc, however, has come under fire for failing to speed up efforts to launch the SPV, which many analysts view as a question of sovereignty for Europe in the face of the U.S. The EU first promised to launch the SPV on November 4, 2018, the same day U.S. sanctions were reimposed.

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Jannati had tendered his resignation in a letter to the Leader thanking him for his trust and support over the years.

Jannati, 91, had been in the post since 1992 when he was installed by Ayatollah Khamenei as the first interim Friday prayer leader of the capital.

Jannati’s last appearance as Tehran Friday preacher was in September 2016.

The news comes after Ayatollah Khamenei appointed Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi Fard as the new Friday prayer leader of Tehran in mid-February.

Tehran has five interim Friday prayer preachers now.

In a TV program three years ago, Jannati confirmed he had been tendering his resignation to Ayatollah Khamenei, citing other priorities in the Guardian Council and Expediency Council.

Currently, he is serving as the chairman of the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body that chooses the Leader.

Jannati is also secretary of the Guardian Council, a body that vets candidates and supervises elections, as well as a member of the Expediency Council, a body which is intended to resolve disputes between the parliament and the Guardian Council.

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However, Jannati said authorities should listen to the voice of the nation and not distance themselves from people, Mehr reported.

“When it is hard to make ends meet, the poor people pour into the streets to protest since they cannot bear the burdens of hardship anymore,” he said in reference to recent protests that broke out across the country and died down after a week.

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