TEHRAN, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- A move to refuse refueling of Iran Air planes at Western airports is outside the current sanctions regime, an Iranian official complained.
The U.N. Security Council in June hit Iran with new economic sanctions for not cooperating with the international community on its nuclear enrichment program. The European Union and United States followed suit in July with sanctions that target Iran's energy sector, including gasoline sales and jet fuel.
Ramin Mehmanparast, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said Iran's commercial planes weren't getting refueled at European airports, notably London's Heathrow.
"Western countries should know that this measure is even outside the Security Council's illegal resolution and it is against international law," he was quoted Iran's state-funded broadcaster Press TV as saying. "We will not tolerate it and it is on Iran's agenda to deal with this imprudent action."
The U.S. State Department published a list recently that named several international energy companies that stopped doing business with Iran. The Washington Post during the weekend said several of those companies also canceled contracts with Iran Air.
A warning on Iran Air's Web site advises would-be passengers to expect delays because flights will have to stop at Hamburg or Vienna to refuel because of the Heathrow ban.
