Iran-Europe ties cannot be affected by U.S. sanction pressures

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Ahani downplayed the impact of the U.S. sanction pressures on relations between the Islamic Republic and Europe, the state satellite Press TV reported on Wednesday. Exchanges between Iran and Europe reflected a surge during recent years despite Washington's sanctions against Tehran, Ahani said in his address to a two-day conference on Iran-Europe relations in Tehran on Tuesday. "Iran and Europe are inevitable partners," he said, adding that the ties cannot be overlooked despite "desperate" efforts by the United States to hinder relations. Despite ups and downs in political ties between Iran and Europe, the two sides proceeded with persistent scientific and cultural cooperation, said the official. Iran and Europe share common interests and political positions on bilateral and international issues, including the anti-drug campaign and fight against terrorism, he noted. On Monday, Iran warned against potential U.S. sanctions against the country and called on the European Union and other countries to adopt independent approach toward the Islamic Republic. Iran expects the European Union to follow up an "independent foreign policy" and not to permit the U.S. to take advantage of European bodies to provoke hostility towards the Islamic Republic, said Iran's Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi in a message to the two-day conference on Iran-Europe relations. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that the United States would consult with its partners on how to send a strong message to Iran in response to the alleged involvement of the Islamic Republic in the assassination attempts on Saudi envoy to the United States, which Tehran had strongly denied.