Newly appointed Iranian ambassador to Austria Hassan Tajik on Wednesday said the Iranian economy was not entirely dependent on the country's oil exports, Xinhua reported.
In an interview with the Austrian Press Agency in Vienna, Tajik said Iran was able to compensate for economic and oil sanctions imposed by European countries with other parts of its economy.
"Although oil is an important part of our economy, it is not an achilles heel of the Iranian economy and it never will be," the Iranian diplomat said.
He said the West therefore would be unable to back Iran into a corner with its sanctions, noting that Iran's GDP totaled 930 billion dollars in 2011.
"A total economic boycott of a country with that kind of economic volume is practically impossible," he said.
When asked about the ongoing talks over Iran's nuclear program, Tajik said Iran would cooperate with the West if the latter recognizes the country's rights within the nuclear nonproliferation treaty.
The 54-year-old diplomat also said he would like to see ties between Iran and Austria deepen via further cooperation in future.