Azerbaijan, Baku, Apr. 13/ Trend F.Milad/
The Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI) has stopped importing goods from 100 European companies as a move to respond bellicose attitudes of some European states against the country, Mehr reported.
TPOI official Ehsan Khodaee told Mehr news agency that the companies were exporting consumer and luxury goods to Iran.
Khodaee added that the companies have been officially informed about the decision.
On January 23, EU foreign ministers approved sanctions against Tehran, including a ban on Iranian oil imports, a freeze on the assets of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) within the bloc's states and a ban on selling diamonds, gold, and other precious metals to Tehran.
Iran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
The Islamic Republic managed to scale up trade with 160 countries of the world in the past calendar year, which ended on March 19, despite the global economic sanctions against the country, the Customs Administration head Abbas Memarnejad said on April 3.
Non-oil trade balance decreased to $17.9 billion last calendar year from $30.5 billion the year before, he added, IRNA news agency reported.
He added that exports rose by 28 percent year on year, while imports declined by 4 percent.
On Thursday, Iran terminated oil sales to two major Greek firms - Hellenic Petroleum and Motor Oil Hellas - over their failure to pay for their crude purchases from Tehran.
Iran has already cut oil exports to France and Britain in retaliation for the Western-led sanctions on its oil industry.
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