By Trend

The issue of closing the Strait of Hormoz has nothing to do with sanctions against Iran, the Mehr News Agency quoted Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi as saying.

The two issues are completely separate of each others and have nothing to do with them, he added.

On October 15, the European Union agreed to impose new sanctions on Iran to increase pressure over its disputed nuclear program.

A ban on Iranian natural gas imports is on the table, EU diplomats said, after the implementation this year of an oil embargo.

Other measures include EU prohibitions on the transport or storage of Iranian oil and further limits on financial transactions with Iran's banks, diplomats said.

In July, the Iranian parliament (Majlis) announced it will codify a double-urgency plan aimed at closing the Strait of Hormuz in response to the U.S.-led European Union embargoes on the country's oil industry, Press TV reported.

The Majlis Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy has drawn up a plan which puts emphasis on blocking the passage of tankers carrying oil through the Strait of Hormuz to countries that imposed sanctions on Iran.

 

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