Tehran, January 31: A senior Iranian lawmaker says Majlis is bent on passing a bill which will stop the country’s oil exports to European Union member states in response to the EU oil ban on Iran.
Member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Esmail Kowsari said Monday that stopping oil exports to the EU will deal a heavy blow to hundreds of European refineries.
“The US, UK, and the Zionist regime [of Israel] have behaved in such a way in recent months that leaves no room for tolerance on our part,” he added.
The lawmaker said some European countries have been deceived by the US and Israel and have taken an irrational step by approving oil sanctions against Iran.
“Countries which voted for [oil] sanctions against Iran have been unaware of the impact that this measure will have on them and have been unable to understand hefty economic losses which they will suffer under these critical conditions,” he said.
Kowsari emphasized that Iranian lawmakers have prepared a bill which is in final stages of approval and will give a suitable response to the West’s hostile measures against Iran.
During their latest meeting in Brussels on January 23, EU foreign ministers reached an agreement to ban oil imports from Iran, freeze the country’s central bank’s assets within EU, and ban sales of grains, diamonds, gold and other precious metals to Iran.
On January 28, head of Italy’s refiners’ lobby told Bloomberg that EU embargo on the Iranian oil sector will lead to a speedy closure of about 70 European refineries.
Piero De Simone, general manager of Unione Petrolifera, also noted that the embargo will help the Asian oil importers which will thus be more powerful to undercut their European competitors.
Iranians will have to unload their production somewhere and “I’m sure they’ll find buyers,” he said.
——Agencies