Dutch Traders Criticize US for Dual-Track Approach towards Iran

A group of Dutch businessmen in a meeting with Head of Iran's Chamber of Commerce Gholam Hossein Shafeyee in Amsterdam on Sunday strongly criticized the US for its dual-track approach sanctions against Iran which have prevented them from boosting their trade cooperation with the oil-rich nation.

News ID: 60863

Date: 26 October 2014 - 14:00

"It seems that only Europeans are required to abide by these sanctions, and Americans are an exception," the Dutch traders complained during the meeting.

They said that there are other countries like Myanmar and Cuba which have been sanctioned, but they do not face such tough restrictions that Iran is facing.

Shafeyee, for his part, pointed to the recent visit of the President of Netherlands' Chamber of Commerce Simoness to Tehran, and hoped that the visit had improved "the real image of Iran which has been tarnished by the Western propaganda".

The head of Iran's Chamber of Commerce referred to the 400-years-old background of Iran-Netherlands relations, and said, "The sanctions have failed to prevent cooperation between the two countries' private sectors."

Shafeyee, heading a delegation, arrived in the Netherlands on Wednesday to meet the Dutch officials on bilateral relations and mutual cooperation.

The visit to the European country is taking place at the invitation of the president of Netherlands' Chamber of Commerce.

Economic analysts believe that the visit is expected to herald a new chapter of mutual cooperation between the two countries in the field of trade.

During the trip, the Iranian delegation discussed issues of mutual interest with the officials of the Dutch public and private sectors and attended two specialized sessions in The Hague.

On February 6, the US blacklisted around three dozens of companies and individuals, accusing them of evading anti-Iran sanctions. The US Treasury Department said the targeted entities operating in Turkey, Spain, Germany, Georgia, Afghanistan, Iran, Liechtenstein and the United Arab Emirates.

The Iranian foreign ministry termed the US government’s action and the comments made by some American statesmen as “against the spirit” of a landmark nuclear deal clinched between Iran and the six major powers in Geneva last November.

Source: Fars