US Unsuccessful in Stopping Iran Oil Sales: VP
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri highlighted the futility of US attempts to cut Iran’s oil exports down to zero and said Washington’s plots against the Islamic Republic have gotten nowhere.
Speaking at a meeting of a task force on “the Resistance Economy” in Tehran on Monday, Jahangiri praised Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh and his colleagues for furthering the ministry’s plans in the oil and gas industries despite US sanctions.
“The measures taken in this area are fully in line with the policies of the Resistance Economy and should be seriously continued,” he said.
“Fortunately, the Americans have been unsuccessful in cutting Iran’s oil sales to zero, and we are using all of our power and existing capacities to sell oil,” the vice president stated.
The remarks came against the backdrop of increased tensions between Iran and the US with Washington imposing new economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
The US has ratcheted up pressure on Iran since last year after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Since then, the administration of US President Donald Trump is trying to reduce Iran’s oil exports to “zero,” and has sent an aircraft carrier strike group, a bomber squad, an amphibious assault ship, and a Patriot missile battery to the Middle East to try to stack up pressure on Tehran.
Iranian officials, however, have dismissed such moves as psychological warfare, saying the country has its own ways of circumventing the American bans and selling crude oil.
Recent shipping data showed that despite US sanctions on Iran’s oil industry, oil product sales from the Islamic Republic remain strong at nearly $500 million a month.
