Lawmaker Deplores EU’s Hypocritical Attitude towards Iran

A prominent Iranian legislator lashed out at the EU for implementing new sanctions against Iran, and stressed that the hostile measure proves that EU claims about its intention for finding a negotiated end to Iran’s nuclear issue is baseless.

“The new sanctions indicate that the European Union has been insincere and hypocritical in the nuclear negotiations,” Vice-Chairman of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Esmayeel Kosari said.

“They claimed that they seek negotiations to reach positive results, but their latest measure proved their hollow commitments to the world,” the lawmaker said.

The EU enforced a set of oil sanctions against Iran on July 1. The 27-nation bloc, which accounted for around 18 per cent of Iran’s oil exports, said earlier that all contracts for importing Iranian oil will have to be terminated from July 1. Also, European companies will no longer be involved in insuring Iranian oil.

In response, Iran threatened that it might block the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway used to ship about 40% of the world’s oil.

Iran is the second largest OPEC oil producer, producing about 4 million barrels of oil a day. The country’s recoverable oil reserves are estimated at more than 137 billion barrels, or 12 per cent of the world’s overall reserves.

Despite the rules enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entitling every member state, including Iran, to the right of uranium enrichment, Tehran is now under four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions for turning down West’s calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment.

Tehran has dismissed the West’s demand as politically tainted and illogical, stressing that sanctions and pressures merely consolidate Iranians’ national resolve to continue the path.