FNA - Austrian Ambassador to Iran Stefan Scholz underlined that his country stands in opposition to the US sanctions against Tehran, reiterating that his nation is seeking to expand ties and cooperation with the Islamic Republic.

"The important point for us is that we all reject the US secondary sanctions and see them as unacceptable," Scholz said in a meeting with the Iranian commercial officials in the Southern province of Fars on Sunday.

He stressed that Vienna is endeavoring to pave the ground for the further expansion of relations with Iran, specially in economic fields.

"What the world is witnessing now is the resistance of the great Iranian nation in different periods of time and they have been able to live through sanctions," Scholz said.

Scholz had also in December stressed that the European country would continue expansion of ties and cooperation with Iran despite the US sanctions.

"Cooperation between Iran and Austria dates back to over 500 years ago and they have established official relations for over 100 years and of course, they have faced many ups and downs and we hope that these interactions will continue in future," Scholz said in Tehran.

He underlined the need for Iran to increase its soft power in West Asia, and said, "Iran and its partners intend to increase cooperation to further help those harmed in different natural disasters in the region."