ArmInfo. US unilateral sanctions against Iran will have an impact on the Armenian economy, Head of the Iranian studies Department at the Faculty of Oriental Studies at YSU Vardan Voskanian expressed this opinion on November 6 at a press conference in Yerevan.
He recalled that, in contrast to 2015, yesterday the United States unilaterally imposed sanctions on Iran, while unilaterally withdrawing from a nuclear agreement signed in 2015. The expert stated that the situation is fundamentally different from what happened in 2015, as Iran today continues contacts with the European Union and other countries of the agreement. "In this issue, it can be stated that the European Union went against its ally, the United States, and continues to cooperate with Iran, making efforts, including to mitigate the impact of sanctions. In this situation, Armenia should support the European position on Iran and as a European country conduct a policy consistent with the EU, "the expert said.
At the same time, speaking about the risks that these sanctions bear for Armenia, Voskanyan noted that they will affect the Armenian economy, however the country may try to maneuver in any way. However, according to him, in the political component of the Armenian-Iranian relations one can hardly expect any deviations. "If there are any, it will be a gross mistake," an expert on Iran said. Touching the statement by the Acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, that the borders with Iran and Georgia may close at any time, Voskanian expressed the conviction that such statements can be misleading, so it's not worth focusing on this context. "This statement has caused some misunderstanding by the Iranian side. This is also due to the fact that today Iranian society does not understand what is happening in our country and needs clarification of the events. This should be done by our side through different channels and should be presented to different layers of Iranian society ", the expert summarized.
On November 5, new US sanctions against Iran entered into force. Sanctions will cover oil exports. Washington has previously announced a goal to bring exports of Iranian oil to zero and encouraged its buyers to abandon procurement. On Monday, the Finance Ministry announced that the United States will add more than 700 individuals, organizations, aircraft and ships of Iran on the sanctions list.
To recall, US President Donald Trump announced in May that Washington was withdrawing from an agreement on nuclear program with Iran. He also reported on the sanctions against Iran, including secondary ones, that is, against other countries doing business with Iran. The United States re-introduced part of the sanctions against Iran on August 7. More substantial sanctions, which will cover oil exports, entered into force on 5 November. Iran and the "six" international mediators (Russia, USA, Britain, China, France, Germany) on July 14, 2015 reached a historic agreement on resolving the perennial problem of the Iranian atom: the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan was adopted, the implementation of which would result in cancelation of previous economic and financial sanctions by the UN Security Council, the United States and the European Union.