TEHRAN – The Austrian Ambassador to Iran, Stefan Scholz, has said that Vienna rejects the U.S. sanctions against Tehran and seeks to expand ties and cooperation with the Islamic Republic.

“The important point for us is that we all reject the U.S. secondary sanctions and see them as unacceptable,” Fars quoted Scholz as saying in a meeting with the Iranian commercial officials in the southern province of Fars.

He noted that Austria seeks to strengthen cooperation with Iran, especially in economic area.

“What the world is witnessing now is the resistance of the great Iranian nation in different periods of time and they have been able to live through sanctions,” Ambassador Scholz says.“What the world is witnessing now is the resistance of the great Iranian nation in different periods of time and they have been able to live through sanctions,” Ambassador Scholz said.

The U.S. announced on April 22 that Washington has decided not to extend waivers allowing major importers to continue buying oil from Iran. The waivers ended on May 2. 

The U.S. State Department also announced on Friday that Washington will not renew two of sanctions waivers which allowed Russia and the European nations to do business with Tehran. One of the two waivers allowed Iran to store excess heavy water produced in the uranium enrichment process in Oman. The other one allowed Iran to swap enriched uranium for raw yellowcake with Russia.

U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled Washington out of the 2015 nuclear deal in May 2018 and ordered reimposition of sanctions against Iran. The first round of sanctions went into force on August 6 and the second round, which targets Iran’s oil exports and banks, were snapped back on November 4. 

NA/PA