Lavrov Says New Sanctions Aimed at 'Suffocating' Iran Economy
Russia on Wednesday accused Western powers of trying to "suffocate" the Iranian economy and incite popular discontent with new sanctions such as a proposed oil embargo.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said all sanctions aimed at winning more transparency from Iran concerning its nuclear program had "exhausted" themselves and new measures threatened to only hurt the Iranian people.
"Additional unilateral sanctions against Iran have nothing to do with a desire to ensure the regime's commitment to nuclear non-proliferation," Lavrov told reporters at an annual briefing outlining Russia's foreign policy views.
"It is seriously aimed at suffocating the Iranian economy and the well-being of its people, probably in the hope of inciting discontent."
His comments came as EU diplomats closed in on a July date for a full oil embargo that would suit nations such as Italy with a strong reliance on Iranian supplies.
Lavrov said Russia had evidence that Iran was ready to cooperate more closely with inspectors from the United Nations IAEA nuclear watchdog and was preparing for "serious talks" with the West.
He also hinted that Europe and the United States were imposing the measures with the specific purpose of torpedoing new rounds of talks.
"Iran is now waiting for an (IAEA) delegation so that it can discuss serious issues. So the sanctions that can now be adopted by the European Union can hardly improve the atmosphere or make the talks productive," said Lavrov.
"All possible sanctions that could impact Iran's behavior in the nuclear sphere or its cooperation with the IAEA have been exhausted," said Lavrov.
Russia has previously backed four rounds of U.N. Security Council sanctions against Tehran but now argues that tougher penalties could carry serious security risks.
Tehran's ambassador to Moscow said Wednesday he expected Russia's support to continue because it too was being threatened by the West.
"We expect Russia not to agree to a deal with the West," Iranian Ambassador Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi told the Interfax news agency.
"If there are (non-Western) countries that want to see Iran become a victim of the West, they must understand that the West will get to them too," Sajjadi.
"We hope that the Russian government and the Russian people will take note of this."
Source: Agence France Presse
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