No UK ban on refueling Iran planes

No ban has been imposed on refueling Iranian planes in British airports, an informed source in Iran Air's Britain and Ireland office says.

"No limitation has been placed on the refueling of Iranian passenger planes in Britain so far. The Iranian flights to London are being conducted regularly and on a daily basis and Iran National Airlines Company conducts three direct flights to Tehran and one direct flight to Shiraz (from London) each week," the informed source told IRNA on Monday.

"No unusual behavior by the companies providing fuel for Iranian planes has been observed so far. Iran Air Lines Company, however, is fully ready to encounter any likely limitations in this regard," the source added.

The remarks came in reaction to some media reports indicating that the airports in the Untied Arab Emirates (UAE), Germany and Britain have refused to refuel Iranian planes following the ratification of unilateral US sanctions against Iran.

The Emirati and German airport officials, however, dismissed the reports on Monday, saying they continue refueling Iranian planes with no limitations.

"The countries, which are keen to counter the Islamic Republic, have spared no efforts over the past 30 years to impede Iran's air transportation. Following the Islamic Revolution, we have been constantly entangled by limitations and setbacks, but fortunately these hampering efforts have been to no avail as the enemies had expected," the source continued.

According to some media reports, the United States has violated international laws by exerting pressure on some companies in Germany, Kuwait and the UAE so that they would not provide Iranian passenger planes with fuel.

The United States approved unilateral sanctions against Iran's banking and energy sectors following a fourth round of UN Sanctions Resolutions passed against Iran's nuclear program on June 9.

The extra sanctions, signed by US President Barack Obama on Thursday, were approved by the US Congress as punitive measures against Iran's nuclear activities.

Under the new US measures, any company providing fuel to the Islamic Republic would be penalized.

While the US possesses and has used nuclear weapons in the past, Washington, in a politically-motivated move, is imposing unilateral sanctions against Iran, which does not possess nuclear weapons nor does it seek to develop such weapons.