Swiss reject US, Jewish criticism of Iranian gas deal

BERN, Switzerland: Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey on Tuesday brushed aside U.S. and Jewish criticism of a multibillion-dollar (-euro) gas deal she helped clinch with Iran, saying the Alpine republic does not need permission from the United States to advance its strategic interests.

The brusque remarks by Calmy-Rey, who has ruffled feathers in Washington and Jerusalem with her outspoken positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, threaten to escalate tensions over a 25-year natural gas contract announced Monday between Swiss energy trading company EGL and the state-owned National Iranian Gas Export Company.


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