EU oil sanctions doomed to fail: Iran

"The method of threat, pressure and unfair sanctions against a nation that has a strong reason for its approach is doomed to fail," Ramin Mehmanparast said Monday.

He added that such measures will not "prevent Iran from achieving its inalienable right" to peacefully use nuclear energy.

The spokesman further stated that the EU had adopted the decision under the political pressure of the United States, and advised the bloc to value its interests instead of bowing to Washington.

"It seems the American authorities want to disrupt the energy sources of their rivals and weaken their economic rivals under the pretext of piling up political pressure on Iran," he said.

Mehmanparast said the oil embargo cannot become real given the European Union's "economic crisis."

He emphasized that any country that wants to deprive itself of Iran's vast energy reserves will be "immediately replaced by other countries."

Foreign ministers of the European Union reached an agreement on Monday to impose sanctions on Iran oil imports and freeze the assets of Iran's Central Bank within the EU.

EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, told reporters that the sanctions are aimed at pressuring Iran to return to talks over its nuclear program.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary William Hague called the embargo part of "an unprecedented set of sanctions,” and his German counterpart, Guido Westerwelle, said imposing sanctions was a vital action to be taken to guarantee “security in the world."

Iran's oil accounts for more than one-third of Greece's total oil imports, 15 percent of Spain's and over 12 percent of Italy's.

The EU has also imposed a ban on the sale of gold, diamonds, and other precious metals to Iran.

Reacting to EU's decision, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected unilateral sanctions against Iran, saying the sanctions would be "unhelpful."

Tehran has warned that the embargo will have negative consequences such as increasing price of oil.
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