President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shrugged off on Thursday the impact of any sanctions targeting Iran's gasoline imports and suggested it would soon be able to meet its own needs, Iranian media reported. US President Barack Obama has given Iran until September to take up a six-power offer of talks on trade benefits if it shelves sensitive nuclear enrichment, or face harsher sanctions.
Iran is the world's fifth-largest crude exporter but its refineries lack the capacity to meet domestic fuel demand so it imports up to 40 percent of its gasoline. The United States and its allies may target those imports if Tehran refuses to enter talks over its nuclear programme.
The West suspects Iran aims to make nuclear bombs, while Tehran insists it needs atomic fuel for power plants. Ahmadinejad said Iran "broke down" previous punitive measures imposed against the Islamic Republic and that talk of gasoline sanctions showed how "politically backward" its foes were, state broadcaster IRIB quoted him as saying.