Rafsanjani slates West's hostile approach towards Iran

Head of Iran's Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani lambasted the western countries' hostile stances and approaches towards Iran, cautioning that such a policy would close all doors to the diplomatic solution of Iran's nuclear issue, Fars News Agency reported.   

"In spite of Iran's readiness for resumption of talks without any preconditions, they follow their past hostile approach on Iran," Hashemi Rafsanjani said, adding that it seems that the western countries are trying to close all diplomatic and interaction ways.

"It seems that America, Europe and some of their followers are deteriorating the Middle East situation through their policies in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Palestine. They also have taken an intractable and illogical approach towards the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said on Saturday.

Referring to the International economic crisis, the Head of the Expediency Council added that the west's anti-Iran stances are doomed to failure because the world would no longer bear another crisis.

"They should behave logically to pass the current sensitive situation and settle the dispute through entente" he said.

Hashemi Rafsanjani's remarks came about a month after the UN Security Council approved a fourth round of sanctions against the country followed by the European Union's new sanctions targeting Iran's foreign trade, banking and energy sectors. They include a ban on dealing with Iranian banks and insurance companies, as well as steps to prevent investment in Tehran's oil and gas sectors.

In reply, Iran condemned the European Union's decision, and said that the decision will harm the European companies because these companies cannot abide by the sanctions and will, thus, be isolated by their states.