Iran warns that it will quit talks if UN sanctions are tightened

By Zhang Wen

A senior Iranian lawmaker has warned that Iran will quit talks on its nuclear program if the six major powers tighten fresh UN sanctions against the country, according to Iran's Press TV.

"If the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - Russia, China, France, Britain and the US - plus Germany (P5+1) tighten the UN Security Council sanctions Resolution 1929, they should not expect Iran to continue talks," IRNA quoted Head of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi as saying Sunday.

His remarks followed a recent call by major world powers to resume a new round of talks with Tehran over its nuclear program.

Last week, US President Barack Obama signed a new set of sanctions against Iran into law. The new US law attempts to bar countries from exporting refined petroleum to Iran, as well as restricting access to American financial institutions for any entity that helps the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

"This latest sanctions from the US won't only effect Iran, but to a great extent other countries that provide petroleum to the Islamic republic, including China," said Han Xiaoping, the vice president of China Energy Net.

The CEO of French energy giant Total on Friday criticized the sanctions against Iran, saying an embargo on petrol products was an "error" that would harm ordinary people.

Zhang Xiaodong, a Middle East studies expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noted that the sanctions can be seen as a sign of new tensions between the US and Iran. "Obama may switch his policy to a tighter one toward Iran," he said.

However, Alaeddin Borujerdi, Iran's head of the Parliament's commission on foreign policy, said Sunday that Tehran could stop refining uranium to 20 percent purity level if it gets nuclear fuel required for a research reactor.

"If the fuel for the Tehran research reactor is given, Iran will not insist on continuing production of the fuel domestically," state news agency IRNA quoted Borujerdi as saying.

Agencies contributed to this story