Iran calls U.S. pressure to restrict trade with UAE 'illegal'
The Associated Press
Published: September 2, 2007
TEHRAN, Iran: Iran complained Sunday that recent U.S. pressure on the United Arab Emirates to restrict trade with the Islamic republic was "illegal" and warned it would jeopardize the region's economy.
The U.S. has been urging the UAE to crack down on companies believed to be smuggling equipment to Iran to build explosive devices killing American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On Friday, the UAE announced a new law permitting it to ban or restrict shipments for national security or foreign policy reasons, upsetting the country's business community, which does significant trade with Iran and other countries in the Middle East.
"The U.S. pressure on the UAE is in the direction of the same illegal U.S. policy against Iran in the past and beyond the U.N. resolutions," said Mohammad Ali Hosseini, spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry.
The United Nations Security Council has passed two sets of sanctions targeting Iranian individuals and businesses involved in the country's nuclear and missile programs. The resolutions also ordered countries to stop supplying Iran with materials and technology for these programs.
Iran's most widely circulated newspaper, Hamshahri, warned in its editorial Sunday that trade restrictions would hurt Iran, the UAE and other Mideast countries.
"Putting Iran's economic interactions in danger would mean economic risk for many countries," said the paper. "Under the circumstances, the UAE would not be able to repeat its economic boom years."
U.S. pressure for tougher trade laws is part of the Bush administration's broader campaign to contain Iran amid tensions over its alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons and support of the Iraqi insurgency.
Much of Iran's trade flows through Dubai, which also ranked as the top export destination in the Middle East last year for American companies with $12 billion (€8.7 billion) worth of goods.
Iran calls U.S. pressure to restrict trade with UAE 'illegal'
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