File photo shows Iranians preparing to cast their ballots in a presidential election.[/caption]The recent US-engineered sanctions against Irans petrochemical industry are aimed at disheartening the Iranian voters ahead of the countrys June 14 presidential election, an Iranian lawmaker says.
In a Wednesday interview, Mousa Ahmadi, a member of Irans Majlis Energy Committee, said Western embargoes will backfire by strengthening the Iranian nation.
Under existing conditions, new sanctions that target our country's petrochemical companies on the verge of the election are for psychological effect, as they (the West) seek to discourage the people from participating in this election with this psychological shock, he said.
The US Treasury Department issued a statement on Friday, announcing sanctions against eight Iranian petrochemical companies namely Bou Ali Sina, Mobin, Nouri, Pars, Shahid Tondgouyan, Shazand, Tabriz and Bandar Imam.
Ahmadi downplayed the Wests sanctions on Iran as futile, saying that every fresh round of sanctions is a sign that the previous ones have failed.
Noting that the budget for the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21) does not rely on oil revenues, the lawmaker said, I believe that sanctions imposed by the US will not produce the effects which they expect on Iran.
At the beginning of 2012, the US and the European Union imposed new sanctions on Irans oil and financial sectors with the goal of preventing other countries from purchasing Iranian oil and conducting transactions with the Central Bank of Iran.
The illegal sanctions were imposed based on the unfounded accusation that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.
Iran rejects the allegation, arguing that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
By Press TV
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