EU firms main losers of Iran sanctions

Amid efforts by European states to impose unilateral sanctions on Iran, a senior Iranian official warns that confrontational policies will bear no fruit.

“The policy of imposing sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program will not help to settle the disputes but will inflict the most damage to the European firms,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Ahani said in a meeting with State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office, Wolf-Ruthart Born on Thursday.

He dismissed the dual-track policy of diplomacy and sanctions as “deceitful and useless” and urged the European countries to end their confrontational approach towards Iran.

“The European Union will face an appropriate and firm response from Iran should it pursues the policy of imposing sanctions,” Ahani said.

He pointed to the new resolution passed by the UN Security Council on June 9 imposing the fourth round of sanctions on Iran and said the new sanctions against Iran are counterproductive.

The Iranian deputy foreign minister added that countries which voted for the recent UN resolution only aim to undermine the interactive approach of the Tehran nuclear declaration.

Based on the declaration, issued by Iran, Brazil and Turkey on May 17, Tehran announced readiness to exchange 1,200 kg of its low enriched uranium on Turkish soil for fuel for its medical research reactor.

Born, for his part, said that Germany and the EU will pursue their diplomatic efforts to lift sanctions imposed on Iran.