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Summary
As Iranian lawmakers approved the last three members of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's cabinet on Sunday, Ahmadinejad criticised western nations for imposing sanctions and increasing pressure against Iran's nuclear ambitions.Our national security is the most important thing, our national unity is on top. And those who thought they could take concession from the Iranian nation through imposing sanctions and threat are disappointed today. They understand now they have no alternative but cooperation with the Iranian nation, they have no alternative to stop short and stand side by side with the Iranian nation, Ahmadinejad said.Iranian parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani said on Sunday that US steps to renew sanctions on Iran and seize control of a skyscraper show that President Barack Obama is no improvement from his predecessor George W. Bush.After one year of giving speeches and baseless slogans, it is a disgrace to see the behaviour and the attitudes of this president are not better than his predecessors, Larijani said.Obama renewed some long-standing US financial sanctions against Iran for another year on Thursday.The sanctions, which involve certain frozen Iranian assets, stem from a national emergency the US government declared in November 1979 near the start of the Iran hostage crisis. Such sanctions have to be extended annually by the US president to remain in effect.Also on Thursday, US prosecutors filed a civil lawsuit to seize control of a New York City skyscraper they say is owned by companies illegally funnelling money to the Iranian government.Iran's parliament approved the last three ministers in Ahmadinejad's 21-member cabinet after rejecting his original choices in September, the semi-official ILNA news agency said. Eighteen of Ahmadinejad's proposed ministers had won parliamentary approval in September after Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on the assembly to cooperate with the president.
