Tehran: EU should follow national interests, not US pressure

Jan 17, 2012, 8:29 GMT

Tehran - Tehran on Tuesday called on European Union member states to consider national interests in deciding on an oil embargo against Iran rather than giving in to pressure from the United States.

'If the EU is serious about its claim to be independent, then it should focus on its national interests and not give in to political pressure by the US,' Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters in Tehran.

The EU is to meet on January 23 to decide whether to impose an oil embargo on Iran in response to Tehran's uncompromising stance in the dispute over its nuclear programme.

'Such sanctions would be both illegal and illogical but what we see so far is some EU member states are not ready to deprive itself of Iranian oil,' Mehmanparast said.

Oil sanctions against Tehran, especially if other countries like India, Japan and Korea joined the US and EU sanctions, would have a grave impact on Iran's economy, which relies largely on oil revenue.

Mehmanparast reiterated Tehran's readiness to resume talks with world powers to settle the nuclear dispute but said that neither date nor venue have yet been fixed.

Observers say the outcome of a visit to Iran by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), scheduled for January 28, will determine whether world powers resume talks.

Mehmanparast tried to play down international concern over the new enrichment site of Fordo, south of the capital Tehran, one of the facilities earmarked for inspection.

'The IAEA has been informed of whatever has been done in Fordo and whatever will be done there would again be in full coordination with the IAEA,' he said.

Fordo is to become the country's second uranium enrichment plant, alongside the Natanz plant in central Iran. It is expected to become operational next month and have the capacity to enrich uranium to 3.5, 4 and 20 per cent.

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