Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the sanctions that the European Union has imposed on the Islamic Republic are akin to a double-edged sword which has left Europe worse off, Presstv.ir reported on Thursday.

In a press conference with Kuwaiti journalists on Wednesday, Ahmadinejad said Iran has had no economic ties with the U.S. over the past 33 years, so the current sanctions actually target European countries.

Noting that the EU is currently on the verge of collapse, the Iranian president said "they have, in their own terms, boycotted Iran for five years".

"The question is whether it is the economic situation in Iran or Europe which is in poor condition today," he added.

The EU foreign ministers on Monday agreed on a new round of sanctions against Iran, in spite of a UN warning against the humanitarian ramifications of the previous bans.

The sanctions, imposed by EU countries Tuesday, targeted major Iranian state companies in the oil and gas industry, and also toughened restrictions on the central bank, cranking up financial pressure on Tehran.

The EU sanctions were imposed based on the allegation that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

Iran rejects the allegations and argues that as a committed signatory to the non-proliferation treaty and a member of International Atomic Energy Agency, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Ahmadinejad said the hostility against Iran began when the Iranian nation toppled the Western-backed regime of the Shah of Iran in 1979 and the West has since used every excuse for enmity against the country.

He added that using the nuclear issue as an excuse for hostility against Iran is a "historic mistake" as those who have tried to eliminate Iran, throughout its seven-thousand-year history, have destroyed themselves while the Iranian nation still stands.

The Iranians will resist the sanctions and Iran has a very large economy that can manage without oil so "the arrogant powers have no choice but to change the situation," Ahmadinejad said.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman also strongly condemned the EU for the new unilateral sanctions against Iran, calling them "illegal, unacceptable and unconstructive".

Emphasizing that the EU sanctions were illegitimate and against international law, including the trade freedom principle and financial exchange between nations, Ramin Mehmanparast said Thursday, "the EU insistence on the use of old and uncivilized levers, instead of diplomatic solutions and negotiations based on mutual respect, will only make things more complicated," Iranian news agency ISNA reported.

Earlier this week Russia and China also criticized the EU for imposing new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.