Iran has withdrawn around US$75 billion from Europe to prevent the assets from being blocked under threatened new sanctions over Tehran’s disputed nuclear ambitions, an Iranian weekly said.
Western powers are warning the Islamic Republic of more punitive measures if it rejects an incentives offer and presses on with sensitive nuclear work, but the world’s fourth-largest oil exporter is showing no sign of backing down.
“Part of Iran’s assets in European banks have been converted to gold and shares and another part has been transferred to Asian banks,” Mohsen Talaie, deputy foreign minister in charge of economic affairs, was quoted as saying.
Iranian officials were not immediately available to comment on the report in Shahrvand-e Emrouz, a moderate weekly, which did not specify the time period for the withdrawals which it said were ordered by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
“About $75 billion of Iran’s foreign assets which were under threat of being blocked were wired back to Iran based on Ahmadinejad’s order,” the weekly said.
Iran’s Etemad-e Melli newspaper, also quoting Talai, last week also reported the country was withdrawing assets from European banks but did not give any figures.
On Saturday, Iran again ruled out suspending uranium enrichment despite the offer by six world powers of help in developing a civilian nuclear program if it stopped activities the US and others suspect are designed to make bombs. The offer was a revised version of one rejected by Tehran two years ago.
EU diplomats have said the bloc is preparing a freeze on Iran’s biggest bank, state-owned Bank Melli, but that it first wants to see how Tehran responds to the new offer.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said yesterday that the UK will freeze assets of Iran’s largest bank in a further move to discourage the country from developing nuclear weapons;
Speaking at a news conference with US President George W. Bush, Brown said that Britain will work to convince Europe to follow suit.
“Britain will urge Europe and Europe will agree to take sanctions against Iran,” he said.
“Action will start today in new phase of sanctions on oil and gas. We will take any necessary action so that Iran is aware of the choice it needs to make,” Brown said.
Also see: Bush, Brown underscore relationship
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