H.E. Mr. Hossein Panahiazar:

There is no doubt the sanctions cause inconvenience. However, we are trying to do our best to reduce the effect of sanctions on ordinary people. We used to have approximately from €30 billion to €40 billion trade with European countries, but as a result of sanctions this has reduced to from €10 billion to €15 billion. We are shifting trade relations to other countries in Asia and Latin America in the effort to reduce the effect of sanctions. Of course, however, this causes inconvenience for the people and the Government. It is not right to impose sanctions on a nation. We have resisted against eight years of war in defence of our right to say the United Nations should condemn aggression against Iran.

What we are saying now is that we demand that our rights in accordance with empathy and international law for enrichment be recognised and we are ready to compromise. If they provide fuel for our research centre, we will stop producing 20% enrichment. We see our proposals as logical. We hope the sanctions will be lifted and regret that, unfortunately, Europe has changed its policy.

In the past the EU only applied sanctions that had been approved by the United Nations, not unilateral sanctions. Unfortunately, in recent years that has changed but the unilateral sanctions, according to international law, have no basis. If we accept that the United Nations is the basis for these kinds of decisions, we should follow that rule and not apply unilateral sanctions.