“West’s sanctions against Iran would in the first instance increase pressure on the western countries,” Keikhaei said in an interview with the Austrian daily Wiener Zeitung.
He added a ban on the imports of the Iranian oil or the export of goods to the market of the Islamic Republic with the population of 75 million would cause thousands of people in Europe to lose their jobs.
The European Statistics Office, Eurostat, announced on Wednesday that almost 17.4 million people across the eurozone countries were unemployed in March, showing a 170,000 rise in the jobless population compared to February.
The jobless rate is the highest since the launch of the euro currency in 1999.
The Iranian diplomat said these sanctions would also lead to a growth in the Eastern markets as the volume of Iran's trade with the Asian countries has increased over the past few years.
The US and the EU imposed new financial sanctions as well as oil embargoes against Iran earlier this year, claiming the country’s nuclear energy program may include a military component.
Tehran refutes such allegations, saying frequent inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency have never found any diversion in Iran's nuclear energy program toward military purposes.
The diplomat pointed to the country’s comprehensive economic reform plan and the partial elimination of energy subsidies and noted that the government has adopted a number of measures to alleviate financial pressures on the public, including direct payment of the subsidies in cash, as part of Tehran’s efforts to implement economic reforms.
Keikhaei also hailed the high turnout in Iran's recent Majlis (parliament) elections and argued that while in many European countries less than 50 percent of the eligible voters participate in elections, Majlis polls saw a 64-percent turnout, showing a 13-percent growth compared to the country’s previous elections.
Majlis run-off elections were held on May 4 after a total of 225 candidates succeeded in securing the required majority of votes to win the parliament seats in the first round held on March 2.
press tv/281
Iran's interim charge d'affaires in Vienna Nasser Keikhaei says the West’s sanctions against Tehran will lead to the unemployment of thousands of people in Europe.
News ID 181779
