Veep: Iran Has Plans for Selling Oil Under U.S. Sanctions

Date: 21 October 2018 - 21:53

News ID: ۵۸۷۷۰

TEHRAN (FNA) - Iranian First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri said on Sunday that the country has found new ways to export its crude despite the harsh U.S. sanctions.
Addressing a ceremony in Tehran, Jahangiri said: "We have found a number of new oil partners. We, in the government, have found mechanisms to export our oil, do transportation, make financial exchanges and achieve our desired goals in other areas despite what Americans desire."
He added that the U.S. economic and political sanctions do not merely target the Iranian government, but the whole nation.
"They lie when they say they have not targeted the humanitarian issues because the U.S. has taken the toughest actions against the transfer of money to buy basic commodities for the Iranian people in the past few days," Jahangiri said.
Iranian officials have downplayed the effects of the U.S. sanctions, saying that the country has found new customers for its crude oil.
"Our goal is to increase our resources, and the U.S. claims that it can zero Iran's oil exports. Now, despite the fact that certain countries have stopped buying Iran's oil, we have found new customers," Jahangiri said, addressing a forum on the occasion of the International Day of Standard in Tehran earlier this month.
He played down the U.S. attempts to pressure Tehran by stopping its oil exports, and said, "Trump thinks that Saudi Arabia can compensate for Iran's missing oil after sanctions but it cannot and now the oil prices have increased."
Also, early October, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei underlined that the Iranian nation would certainly be able to defeat the U.S. sanctions.
Jahangiri said that the Leader of Islamic Revolution has agreed to the withdrawal of $500 million from Iran's sovereign wealth fund to support pharmaceutical companies.
"$500 million will be withdrawn from the National Development Fund, and exchanged into rial to support domestic pharmaceutical companies. Leader approved the measure last week, and there’s no problem,” said Jahangiri.

****** Iran’s First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri said the country had plans for ensuring continuation of its oil sales under fresh U.S. sanctions.