Oil Ministry Nominee: Iran to Boost Cooperation with OPEC
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Former Iranian oil minister and President Hassan Rouhani’s nominee for the post stressed that Tehran plans to broaden its cooperation with member states of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
“Iran will have broader cooperation with OPEC as under the present circumstances, we have more expectations from our OPEC friends who are mainly our neighbors,” Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said.
Speaking to Shana news agency , he described the OPEC as the most influential Third World economic body.
As regards OPEC's secretary-general post, Zanganeh said it is just an administrative position which cannot affect the oil prices.
However, he noted that Iran is entitled to become the next secretary-general of OPEC.
Zanganeh said that Iran will work with OPEC based on interaction and cooperation in a bid to boost OPEC’s influence on world oil markets.
Elsewhere in his remarks, he noted that tough sanctions imposed against Iran over its nuclear program have been slapped on the country to hamper Iran’s oil production and exports.
“We have to show the enemies that colonialists should not talk to Iran with the language of sanctions,” said Zanganeh, who served as oil minister from 1997 to 2005.
