'Iran, Europe will surely restore ties'

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi has said that the fractured relations between Iran and Europe will not go on for a long and they will surely regain their ties.

He made the remarks at the inauguration ceremony of a seminar which was attended by representatives from the Economic Cooperation Organisation in Tehran on Monday.

Both Iran and Europe are in need of each other, he said, adding that the Islamic Republic follows the policy of establishing economic relations with all countries, IRNA news agency reported.

Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi has instructed the National Iranian Oil Company to suspend oil exports to Britain and France, the Persian service of the Mehr News Agency reported on Sunday.

Iranian Oil Ministry spokesperson Ali Reza Nikzad-Rahbar confirmed the report, saying, "Crude exports to British and French companies have been halted. We have our own oil customers," he added.

Hassan Tajik, the director of the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Western Europe Department, held separate meetings with the ambassadors of Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, the Netherlands and France on February 15, at which a range of issues, including the oil embargo were discussed.

"We have made efforts to inform the Europeans of the fact that their governments themselves will be responsible for the consequences of the decision," Mr Tajik said at the time.

The Iranian parliament has prepared a plan calling for a halt to Iran's oil exports to the European Union states that voted for sanctions on the country's oil industry which will reportedly be discussed in parliament after Iran's next parliamentary election which is scheduled to be held on March 2.


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