Minister Vows Uninterrupted Sale of Iran’s Oil
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh assured the country’s lawmakers on Tuesday that the export of oil will not come to a halt under any circumstances.
Speaking to Tasnim, Iranian MP Ali Sari gave details of a Tuesday meeting of a parliamentary group with the oil minister, saying Zanganeh has noted that his ministry welcomes contracts with any purchasers of Iranian oil.
The minister has also given an assurance that the export of Iran’s oil will continue under any conditions and has emphasized that foreign sanctions would by no means disrupt the oil sales, the lawmaker added.
Zanganeh has pledged that he will continue to make every effort to counter the sanctions as long as he is in charge of the Oil Ministry, Sari added.
In comments in April, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said the US’ attempts to block the export of Iranian oil will get nowhere as Tehran will be exporting any amount of crude it needs and wants.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will be exporting any amount of oil it would require, at will,” the Leader stressed.
Ayatollah Khamenei has on various occasions called for formulation of necessary plans to cut Iran’s dependence on oil revenues and govern the country on the basis of domestic capabilities instead of natural resources.
The Leader’s comments came after the White House said on Monday that US President Donald Trump "has decided not to reissue" waivers regarding sanctions against countries importing Iranian oil when the waivers expire in early May.
On July 13, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told his British counterpart that the Islamic Republic will keep exporting oil under any circumstances, warning London to release an Iranian oil tanker it has captured in international waters.
On July 4, the British Royal Marines seized Iranian supertanker Grace 1 in Gibraltar for trying to take oil to Syria allegedly in violation of EU sanctions.
Tehran maintains that the supertanker was not bound for Syria and its seizure has taken place at the behest of the US.