Russia Reportedly to Refine Iranian Oil for Export
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)
Washington under Republicans and undemocratic Dems use unilaterally imposed illegal sanctions as political, economic, and trade weapons against its adversaries – a failed strategy. Yet it persists.
US harshness toward Iran since its 1979 revolution achieved nothing. The Trump regime’s aim to crush its economy, mainly by blocking its oil sales, failed before implementation in early November.
On Sunday, OilPrice.com said Iran has ways around Trump regime sanctions, including by having “private local entities buy (its) crude and then resell it to foreign traders.”
According to FGE Energy’s Middle East managing director Iman Nasseri, Iran can work with “private middle-m(en) to…find buyers and arrange for logistics that could possibly be invisible to the monitoring systems” – payment for deliveries to be mostly in foreign currencies.
It’s unclear how much oil Iran can sell this way, likely over a million barrels daily.
Separately, China and other large oil consuming nations intend buying Iranian despite US sanctions.
In late September, Iran’s OPEC governor Hossein Kazempour Ardebili said the “(m)arket is still open for us, and we are currently exporting oil. And we expect to go on exporting.”
Ahead of Trump regime sanctions next month to trying blocking all Iranian oil exports, Moscow, Tehran, and Ankara reportedly agreed to counter what’s imposed by transporting Iranian crude to Russian Caspian Sea refineries for sale in world markets as Russian oil, the Islamic Republic to be reimbursed for the sales.
Putin, Turkey’s Erdogan, and Iran’s Rouhani reportedly agreed on the secret agreement aimed at circumventing US sanctions.
Brussels also agreed to continue buying Iranian oil, perhaps by bartering it for European goods directly or through Russia – Asian importers reportedly intending to do something similar.
Last month, President Rouhani said “(w)e will continue by all means to both produce and export” oil. It’s “in the frontline of confrontation and resistance.”
The Trump regime “is not capable of bringing our oil exports to zero.” Russia, China, Britain, France and German vowed to save the JCPOA and continue normal relations with Iran despite Trump’s pullout.
On Sunday, Iran’s First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri said Iran was selling its oil at above $80 per barrel, adding that the country would be economically safe” despite US sanctions.
It’s finding ways to circumvent them. “It is not strange that countries that are sanctioned find ways to dodge the sanctions.”
“The Americans should know that a country which is sanctioned would still be able to find solutions to move forward.”
“They cannot do this because various mechanisms have been discovered to maintain Iran’s oil exports.”
Iran has been partially circumventing US sanctions for decades. Nations announcing a halt to Iranian oil purchases are seeking ways to continue them through intermediaries, Jahangiri explained.
Some Iranian sales will be lost, most likely to continue. Trump’s scheme to block them altogether most likely will fail.
My newest book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
