Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said on Monday that Iran should not be denied the chance to use nuclear energy for civilian purposes.

Schroeder made the remarks at a ceremony in the German Foreign Office where he was appointed the honorary president of a German association aimed at promoting business with the Middle East.

Iran is under mounting international pressure to stop its uranium enrichment. The United States accuses Iran of using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop atomic weapons, and threatens to impose economic sanctions on the country.

Schroeder, a Social Democrat who had been against the U.S.-led war in Iraq, also said that he was opposed to economic sanctions on Iran.

He noted that sanctions would be ineffective if they did not include trade on oil and gas.

But the world economy would be affected if other countries do not buy Iran's oil. That would drives the world oil price to above 100 U.S. dollars per barrel, he warned.

Stressing that Iran should be treated with the "same standard" as other nations, Schroeder added that Tehran ought not be denied the chance to use nuclear energy for civilian purposes.

A military option, the former chancellor said, if on someone's desk, is definitely wrong.

Schroeder enjoyed a popular support in 2003 when he refused to send troops to join the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The incumbent chancellor, Angela Merkel, followed his policy.

Source: Xinhua