President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday brushed off US threats of possible sanctions on Iran's petrol imports, saying Tehran's oil industry could overcome any such challenge.

"The enemy in the past 30 years has plotted a lot, but every time the Iranian oil industry has slapped it in the face," Ahmadinejad said at a function to introduce new Oil Minister Masoud Mirkazemi to employees of his ministry, Fars news agency reported.

"Though it is not possible, they want to sanction petrol. You should work in a way that we can tell them 'go ahead and sanction it'," the president told the employees.

He also urged the ministry to make Iran's oil refineries more efficient in meeting domestic demand.

US lawmakers have been pushing President Barack Obama to squeeze Iran by targeting its heavy reliance on petrol imports.

Oil-rich Iran, OPEC's second largest oil exporter, is dependent on petrol imports to meet about 40 percent of domestic consumption due to shortage of refining capacity.

For months, US lawmakers have pushed legislation targeting firms that provide such imports, or otherwise invest in Iran's energy sector, as a way to end Tehran's defiance of global pressure over its nuclear programme.

Iran receives most of its petrol imports from the Swiss firm Vitol, the Swiss/Dutch firm Trafigura, France's Total, Glencore of Switzerland and British Petroleum, as well as the Indian firm Reliance.

Iran and the six world powers -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany -- are holding talks on October 1, probably in Turkey, over the Islamic republic's nuclear programme.

The world powers had threatened to impose sanctions on Iran if it failed to talk with them by late September over the atomic drive which they suspect is aimed at making weapons. Tehran denies the charge.