LEAD: Tehran tells EU to follow "national interests" on oil embargo

Jan 17, 2012, 10:48 GMT

Eds: adds quotes by Iranian foreign minister =

Tehran (dpa) - Tehran on Tuesday called on European Union member states to consider national interests in deciding on a proposed 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 (themselves) of Iranian oil,' Mehmanparast said.

Oil sanctions against Tehran, especially if other countries such as 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.

Meanwhile Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi called Tuesday on Saudi Arabia not to replace Iranian oil exports in case of oil sanctions by the EU.

Salehi was referring to Monday's interview by Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi with CNN in which he said his country could easily increase oil production from 9.8 to 12 million barrels per day and hence cover Iranian oil exports in case of sanctions.

'We want suitable relations with all Persian Gulf Arab states, especially Saudi Arabia, but we recommend Saudi officials to have a wiser approach in their remarks,' Fars news agency quoted Salehi as saying.

'We believe that this was just the personal remarks by one minister and not the Saudi government as such remarks could later cause problems (between the two states),' Salehi added.

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.

Salehi said that Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saedi Jalili and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton were discussing the date of the talks which he said, 'would be in the not far future.'

Turkey has already declared its readiness to again host - as in January 2011 - the next round of nuclear talks between Iran

All talks so far between Iran and the six powers - Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States - led by Ashton, have failed to achieve tangible results.

The main stumbling block is that Tehran has constantly rejected the key Western demand to suspend its uranium enrichment plan as a sign of goodwill until the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear programmes is proven.

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