Iran Press/Iran news: Speaking at the ceremony, Bijan Zanganeh reaffirmed Iran's commitment to export oil, despite US unilateral sanctions.
Zanganeh said, the oil market could not merely be managed by statements of the US officials, adding that “Global affairs are not as easy as thought by the US and its instigators. The oil market could not be controlled by mere statements,” Iran Press reported.
The Iranian oil minister noted, “The fragility of the oil market could not be compensated for by speeches and showmanship and creating psychological atmosphere.”
He also said US OPEC allies had been “overstating their spare capacity” in claiming that they would supply enough oil on the market once Iran’s oil has been driven out of the market under US sanctions.
The oil minister further warned that anyone who uses oil as a political tool must also accept the consequences. As reported and translated by Reuters, he said that “those who use oil as a weapon against two founding members of OPEC (Iran and Venezuela) are disturbing the unity of OPEC and creating the death and collapse of OPEC and the responsibility for that is with them.”
The US said that buyers of Iranian oil must stop purchases by May 1 or face sanctions, ending six months of waivers which allowed Iran’s eight biggest buyers -- Turkey, China, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan --to continue importing limited volumes.
Oil prices hit their highest level since November 2018 in the aftermath of Washington’s decision.
China – the largest buyer of Iranian crude -- said it had lodged representations with the US over the move.
Turkey, in turn, reiterated its opposition to “all kind of sanctions.” 101/211/202
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