An Iranian woman and her daughter are seen in front of an Iranian bank in northern Tehran, capital of Iran, Jan. 23, 2012. The European Union (EU) on Monday imposed further sanctions against Iranian oil exports and central bank, a move aimed to ramp up pressure over the country's much disputed nuclear program. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)

The European Union (EU) Monday decided to impose new sanctions on Iran's crucial oil sector, further pressuring Tehran just days after both Iran and the West hinted they could retart dialogue to break the nuclear deadlock.

The West has long used sanctions to punish Iran for its alleged secret development of nuclear weapons. But so far, these sanctions have only drawn angry reactions from Tehran and not been really helpful for ending the crisis.

In response to the new EU sanctions, Iran's Foreign Ministry said Monday that the EU will be responsible for their "injudicious" decisions on imposing embargo on Iran's oil exports, which will lead to "unwelcome consequences for the European people and others."

In Moscow, Russian officials also warned that unilateral sanctions would not facilitate the resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue.

Past experiences have shown that sanctions, even if they can hit the Iranian government hard, have failed to end the crisis. They only created further animosity between Tehran and the West, making a negotiated solution even less likely.

Furthermore, the real victims of the sanctions are the ordinary Iranian people, who, after years of international isolation, are already struggling to deal with soaring prices and a sluggish economy.

From a global economic perspective, the fresh EU sanctions may push up crude oil prices.

Further confrontation between Iran, a major oil producer, and the West could exacerbate concerns among global oil investors about possible tight supply, leading to surging prices, which will push up global inflation and deal a blow to the fragile global economic recovery.

As a result, both the developed world and the emerging economies will feel the pressure.

Right now, it is of great emergency for all related parties to refrain from further provocative actions to eventually prepare for a resumption of talks between Iran and the world major powers.

For Tehran, which has long maintained that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purpose, it should take more measures to convince the international community of its good intentions.

The international community, including China, has long agreed that a nuclear-free Middle East best serves the interest not only of the region, but also of the world.