Russian Envoy Dismisses EU's Oil Ban on Iran as "Wrong Decision"

TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Russian diplomat stressed that the European Union's decision to impose a ban on Iranian oil was not right since Iran has voiced preparedness to resume negotiations with the world powers.

In their meeting on January 23, foreign ministers of the European Union reached eventually an agreement on sanctioning oil imports from Iran and freezing the assets of Iran's Central Bank within the EU.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton told reporters that the sanctions are aimed at pressuring Iran to return to talks over its nuclear program.

Iran has always underlined its preparedness to resume talks with the West but has meantime stressed that it will never accept any precondition for such talks.

Russian Ambassador to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov decried the decision as "improper", and noted, "It is not right to decide to impose sanctions against Iran while the country has expressed its readiness to resume negotiations on its nuclear program."

Iran also voiced readiness to allow [a visit by] the inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in late January, he said on Tuesday.

The Russian diplomat emphasized that the embargo would disrupt the global oil market and would bring about a jump in oil prices.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated his country's strong opposition to fresh sanctions against Iran, and urged a negotiated end to the differences between Iran and the West.

Iran, too, called on the world powers to try to find negotiated solutions to the deadlock they have created through their wrong domestic and foreign policies against Tehran.

"European Union sanctions on Iranian oil is a psychological warfare ... Imposing economic sanctions is illogical and unfair, and will not stop our nation from obtaining its rights," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast said on Tuesday.

"The European countries and those who are under American pressure should think about their own interests. Any country that deprives itself of Iran's energy market will soon see that it has been replaced by others," he underlined.

"Consensus can only be reached through serious negotiations based on a cooperative approach and not via the wrong path of sanctions," Mehman-Parast said.
 

Source:farsnews.com