BRUSSELS. Aug 15 (Interfax) - Russia and the European Union have practically identical interests in the issue of the reinstatement of U.S. sanctions against Iran, Russian Permanent Representative to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov said.
"Speaking of Russia, it has never been our goal to befriend someone against another. The interests of Russia and the European Union practically coincide on this track. We co-authored the fragile Iran nuclear deal, and its preservation meets our interests," Chizhov said.
"I can say that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) did not die after the United States pulled out. The remaining five countries keep working to continue trade and economic cooperation with Iran despite the U.S. sanctions," Chizhov said.
The EU Blocking Regulation emerged in 1996 as a response to the United States' sanctions against Cuba, Chizhov said. "It was not implemented back then because the U.S. administration back-pedaled two years later, in 1998," he said.
"The updated Regulation meets the interests of European business above all, but most of European big businesses have made their choice," Chizhov said.
"I know about over a hundred companies of the kind in various EU countries. Alas, they did not choose to resist the U.S. sanctions and keep working on the Iranian market," he said.
The choice "can be explained with elementary math: companies are doing way more business in the United States than in Iran," which means their financial and production interests are tightly connected to the U.S. market and, most importantly, to the dollar financial system, Chizhov said.
"Of course, there is a large number of small and medium companies, some of which are big enough, unconnected to the U.S. market and the dollar. They are eager to use the opportunities offered by the Iranian market. The problem is that they do not trade in oil, as a rule, and the selling of oil is No. 1 task of Iran. Iran will continue to supply a substantial part of its oil (two-thirds, judging by statistics) to China, but the remaining one-third is a lot," Chizhov said.
"Perhaps, deep in their heart, our European partners are expecting the United States to adjust its attitude at some point, at least, to make an exception for its close allies. But for now the predictability of Washington's policy and the economic policy of the current U.S. administration, not to mention the Congress, constitute a problem, to put it in a politically correct way," Chizhov said.