Gas ties with Bahrain safe, Iran says

TEHRAN, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council have no impact on natural gas trading with Bahrain, the Iranian envoy to the country said.

The U.N. Security Council voted June 9 to place new sanctions on Iran that allow for searches of banned goods in cargo to or from Iran and increases the number of individuals and companies subject to travel bans and an asset freeze.

Hossein Amir Abdollahian, the Iranian envoy to Bahrain, said the U.N. sanctions would have no impact on bilateral trade or energy relations, the semiofficial Mehr News Agency reports.

"The booming trade between Iran and Bahrain is not affected by the U.N. sanctions," he said, adding natural gas exports were shielded as well.

The European Union in July approved new sanctions on Iran that target the financial and energy sector out of concern for Iran's controversial nuclear work. The measure follows a similar move by Washington to restrict foreign activity in the Iranian oil and gas sector.

Energy talks between Manama and Tehran stalled in 2009 over the fallout from Iranian claims that Bahrain was a province of Iran. Iranian officials later discredited the claims, describing the row as insignificant.

Bahrain is allied with the United States, hosting the U.S. Navy 5th Fleet.