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market will soon see that it has been replaced by others," he underlined.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