Russia announced that it will not join any efforts to sanction Iran’s oil and gas sector..
Ria Novosti reports that Sergei Shmatko, the Russian Minister of Energy, said: “Russia will not join any embargo on the Iranian energy sector.”
He added that the energy industry must not be politicized, pointing out that: “Currently all decisions regarding Iran have an evident political aspect.”
He said, however, that Russia has no energy imports from Iran.
Recently the European Union imposed sanctions on another 39 Iranian officials and 141 companies that are said to be linked to Iran’s nuclear program. The EU members were not unanimous in a motion to impose sanctions on Iran’s energy sectors. While France announced that it has boycotted Iran’s oil and gas industry, Italy and Greece opposed such sanctions in view of their dependence on Iranian oil.
The recent sanctions on Iran were triggered by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s recent reports indicating that it is not convinced Iran’s nuclear program has no military dimensions.
Russia has opposed moves to impose further sanctions on Iran and has called for continued diplomatic talks to resolve the disputes.
