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| EU threat to ban export of Iranian gas just a bluff: official |
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 TEHRAN — The Iranian Oil Ministry has downplayed the recent threat by the European Union (EU) to ban Iran’s natural gas export.
The EU threat is a “propaganda campaign,” Oil Ministry spokesman Alireza Nikzad-Rahbar said in response to EU diplomats’ recent remarks that the EU is mulling over imposing a ban on exports of Iranian gas.
“Right now, no EU member imports Iranian gas,” Nikzad-Rahbar said, “The new EU threat is just propaganda maneuvering and will never be enacted since they (the EU members) can never make themselves politically dependent on other countries.”
Nikzad-Rahbar added that sanctions would only deprive Europe of Iran’s abundant gas reserves and make Europe more dependent on other sources of energy, which would threaten the continent’s energy security.
Iran possesses 16 percent of the world's gas reserves.
Iran is now exporting gas to Turkey and has swap deals with Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Iranian lawmaker Esmaeil Kowsari said the EU intention to impose a ban on Iranian natural gas export to Europe would prove a “mistake”.
“The European Union should be aware that it is making a mistake, and Iran will get through this stage, and in the future, the member states of the union will beg Iran to renew their oil and (natural) gas contracts due to their need for energy,” Kowsari said on Friday.
The EU members based their decision on the recent fluctuations in Iran’s foreign exchange market, which is a miscalculation, he was quoted as saying.
MG/PA
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| Last Updated on 06 October 2012 18:28 |