国际英语新闻：Sanctions bear no impact on Iran: President

TEHRAN, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that the sanctions against Iran over its sensitive nuclear program will have no impact on the country, local satellite Press TV reported.

"We do not welcome sanctions but we declare that the Iranian nation has mounted its efforts" to overcome the sanctions, Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.

He advised the foreign companies to abandon the imposed sanctions in dealing with Iran, otherwise "they will soon lose markets in other countries as well as Iran" according to the report.

Ahmadinejad made the remarks at the inaugural ceremony of two projects in the southern Iranian gas-rich zone of Assalouyeh in Bushehr province.

Following European Union (EU) sanctions against Iran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tuesday that "Sanctions will bear no fruit but promotion of self-sufficiency for the Iranian nation," said Press TV.

EU foreign ministers on Monday approved tougher sanctions on Iran over Tehran's nuclear program, including restrictions on banking and insurance, transport, and investment in new oil and gas fields or technical assistance to oil and gas development.

On July 1, U.S. President Barack Obama signed a new Iran sanction bill into law, which was described by him as "striking at the heart" of Iranian government's nuclear ability.

UN Security Council adopted last month a resolution on the Iranian nuclear issue, prohibiting Iran from investing abroad in nuclear and enrichment operations, imposing new restrictions on Iran's import of conventional arms and allowing the Iranian ships in the international waters to be checked.

Iran has reiterated that its nuclear program is aimed at civilian use.