Azerbaijan, Baku, July 8/ Trend, D. Khatinoglu/
The immediate elimination of some kinds of sanctions against Iran is possible, but the easing of some sanctions would take several years due to complicated legal procedures, Iranian political scientist, international relations expert Davoud Hermidas-Bavand told Trend.
According to him, imposed sanctions against Iran are divided into two types, the UN Security Council's (UNSC) sanctions and those which are imposed by the U.S, the EU and Washington's other allies.
"The UNSC's sanctions include mostly bans on exports of nuclear-military related goods to Iran. It was confirmed even in the text of the UNSC resolutions that the imposed sanctions would be eliminated whenever Iran accepts the international community's demands regarding its nuclear program," he said.
Bavand says some other sanctions have been imposed unilaterally by the U.S., the EU and other nations, including energy related sanctions.
The Council has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Iran since 2006 and the U.S., EU and Washington's allies have been targeting Iran's shipping, oil export, oil-gas industry, insurance, banking system and other sectors since 2010.
Sanctions have led to the halving of Iran's oil exports, a halt in international shipping and insurance companies' cooperation with Iran and the blocking of Iran's oil revenues in foreign countries.
Bavand said that during last two years, the EU took a very close position with the U.S. and joined the Americans in implementing heavy sanctions. "For instance, when Canaco of the United States left Iran's South Pars gas field project during Bill Clinton's presidency, Total quickly replaced it. But during recent years, all major international energy companies left Iran", Bavand, who is a member of Law and Political Science School of Tehran University said.
Bavand believes that, in case Iran and the International community could reach common positions step-by-step and the negotiations over Iran's nuclear program progresses, then easing some sort of sanctions including turning the international companies to Iranian projects is possible.
"However, some kinds of sanctions, including those which targeted Iran's oil export are complicated and would take time to be eliminated," he said.
"For instance, some Iranian oil importers have replaced other suppliers with Iranian ones and signed several-year contracts with them, or some others compensated by cutting Iranian oil import by increasing the volume of crude oil import from other nations," he said.
Some 30 international giant energy companies, including Total, Royal Dutch Shell, Statoil, Eni, etc. have left Iran during recent years.
Bavand, referring to the requests of the American Iranian Council (AIC) whose membership roster consists of names such as former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, etc. to the US government to permit American companies to become involve in Iran's economic projects, said that these requests have been restricted only by politics, and most American companies want to take part in Iranian projects.
According to him, bans on investment and participation in Iran's energy projects could be eliminated immediately.
Iranian president-elect Hassan Rohani, who won the presidential elections race on June 14, promised to solve Iran's nuclear dispute with the international community.
The next round of nuclear negotiation between Iran and IAEA may be held in August.
