War against Iran would be a tragic mistake, says Tajik deputy foreign minister

DUSHANBE, January 27, Asia-Plus  -- Tajikistan has been and will remain proponent of peaceful negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, Deputy Foreign Minister Nizomiddin Zohidov told reporters in Dushanbe on January 27.

He added that if forecasts of some experts over the possibility of the launch of war by the United States and Israel against Iran come true, it would be a tragic mistake.

On sanctions imposed by the European Union countries on Iran, Zohidov noted that first of all ordinary people will suffer from those sanctions, “because they will have less work and less incomes.”

“The European Union consumed about 20 percent of Iran’s oil exports and I am sure that buyers for Iran’s oil will be found soon among the Asian nations,” the deputy minister stressed.

Asked about the possibility of purchase of Iran’s oil by Tajikistan, Zohidov noted that there was no petroleum pipeline between our countries and Tajikistan’s oil refining capacity was very low.

“If we purchase Iran’s oil and process it in a third country, the manufactured product will be very expensive,” he said.

We will recall that numerous nations and multinational entities have imposed sanctions against Iran. Sanctions commonly bar nuclear; missile and certain military exports to Iran; investments in oil, gas and petrochemicals; exports of refined petroleum products; business dealings with the Iranian Republican Guard Corps; banking and insurance transactions, including with the Central Bank of Iran; and shipping. The United States imposed sanctions on Iran following the Islamic revolution of 1979, while more recent rounds of sanctions by the U.S. and other entities were motivated by Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program.

European Union foreign ministers agreed to ban oil imports from Iran starting July 1 as part of measures to ratchet up the pressure on the Persian Gulf nation’s nuclear program.