US risks more isolation over Iran sanctions: Marandi

An Iranian academic has warned the United States against further isolation if it continues to threaten other countries against doing business with Iran.

“If the US starts to sanction its own allies then I think it’s going to become more isolated,” Mohammad Marandi was quoted by Russia Today as saying on Thursday.

Marandi was reacting to US Secretary of State John Kerry’s complaint to French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius after a 116-strong French delegation traveled to Iran for commercial opportunities.

Marandi said the US pressure on other countries to curb trade with Iran “is itself a breach of international law.”

“Obviously, the Iranian economy is facing difficulties because of the American imposed sanctions, but France is doing quite poorly itself. And France needs countries like Iran,” he said.
Marandi, a professor at University of Tehran, said the high-profile visit to Tehran of the French businessmen showed the US sanctions regime against Iran “is cracking.”

He added that the French delegation’s visit was a sign of the fact that “the Western countries, who have had the most difficulty with Iran need Iran a great deal.”

Marandi stated that the US officials will “in the long run…hurt themselves more than anyone else” if they keep threatening countries against doing business with Iran.

On Wednesday, French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici brushed off criticisms, saying the French delegation’s visit was “a bet on the future based both on firmness and negotiation.”

The French delegation was the largest of its kind from Europe since last November’s landmark nuclear deal was signed between Iran and the world powers in Geneva.

Under the interim agreement between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — plus Germany, Iran limited certain aspects of its nuclear activities for a six-month period in return for some relief from the illegal Western sanctions.