Russia Condemns EU Sanctions On Iran
By VOR
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has condemned the new package of EU bilateral sanctions on Iran as an attempt to punish Iran for making no compromises and warned this move could undermine all diplomatic efforts.
At today’s meeting in Brussels, 27 EU foreign ministers formally agreed to an embargo on Iran’s oil imports.
“It’s clear pressure and dictate, an attempt to punish Iran for not compromising. This is a profoundly wrong policy, and we have repeatedly pointed it out to our European partners. Iran would make no concessions under such pressure,” the Foreign Ministry’s statement said.
Russia concerned over new EU sanctions against Iran
Russia is very concerned with new EU sanctions against Iran, Russia’s Foreign Ministry stated on Monday.
The diplomats said that the package would hit a number of Iranian economic branches and are aimed at punishing Iran for its obstinacy. Moscow finds such a policy erroneous.
Russia wants talks on Iran to resume
Russia hopes that talks on Iran’s nuclear problem will resume soon, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Monday.
He said that the recent unilateral measures are halting this process, namely ungrounded conclusions by the IAEA that Iran’s nuclear program is not peaceful, and the EU sanctions.
IAEA aims to resolve “substantive issues” in Iran
The U.N. nuclear watchdog confirmed on Monday a planned Jan 29-31 visit to Iran and said the overall objective was to “resolve all outstanding substantive issues” linked to Tehran’s disputed atomic activities.
“A senior IAEA team will visit Iran from 29 – 31 January 2012,” the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Vienna-based U.N. body, said in a statement.
Iran resumes Hormuz blockade threat
Iran stays determined to respond to any oil embargo against it by shutting the Strait of Hormuz, Deputy head of national security affairs in the Iranian Parliament Mohammad Kowsari spoke about this in Teheran Monday hours after the European Union ruled to completely lock out Iranian oil beginning with July.
He also said his country has a lot of oil customers outside the Western world.
