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Iranian Majlis to discuss ban on EU oil exports

Iran Materials 29 January 2012 19:30 (UTC +04:00)
An Iranian lawmaker says Majlis is set to consider proposals by lawmakers to ban the country's oil exports to Europe in response to the recent EU oil embargo on Iran.
Iranian Majlis to discuss ban on EU oil exports

An Iranian lawmaker says Majlis is set to consider proposals by lawmakers to ban the country's oil exports to Europe in response to the recent EU oil embargo on Iran, Press TV reported.

Spokesman for the Majlis Energy Committee Emad Hosseini said on Sunday that no bill had been drafted and brought o Majlis in this regard but "what exists is an idea by lawmakers which [they] will pursue until a result is achieved."

"The government will be consulted in designing the bill," he added.

"State officials will be consulted to see where we stand and in what state our contracts are," he said.

Hosseini expressed hope that discussions on the bill will be finalized before Friday.

On Saturday, January 28, deputy chairman of Majlis Energy Committee said the committee had finalized a draft bill to stop the country's oil exports to EU member states.

Nasser Soudani said the double-urgency bill envisioned halting all oil exports to European countries as long as they continue to ban oil imports from 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.

EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, claimed that the new sanctions aim to bring Iran back to negotiations with P5+1 -- US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany -- over the country's peaceful nuclear program.

The United States, Israel and their European allies accuse Tehran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear program and have used this pretext to impose four rounds of international and a series of unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Iran has refuted the allegations, arguing that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Tehran is entitled to use nuclear technology for peaceful use.

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