Rouhani: Iran will continue selling oil despite U.S. sanctions

5 December 2018 16:23 (UTC+04:00)

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Iran must sell its oil and will sell it, and if the U.S. wants to stop the export of oil from Iran, then oil from the entire Persian Gulf will not be supplied to the market, said Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

He added that the U.S. would not be able to end Iran’s trade relations with the region and the world.

Hassan Rouhani said during a visit to the Semnan province on December 4 that the U.S. is trying to undermine Iran’s relations with the world.

“Today, Iran’s relations with its neighbors, including Iraq and Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait are close, and America will not be able to undermine our relations with the countries of the region, which have been good for centuries", said Rouhani.

He added that the U.S. will not be able to undermine Iranian trade relations with the region and the world, they should know that people will maintain their cultural, economic and political relations with the countries of the region and the world, and Iran will communicate with neighbors and Islamic countries.

Rouhani stressed that America is trying to isolate Iran, undermine relations with China, India and other neighbors and spread Iranophobia in the region.

"We are not enemies for our neighbors. America will not be able to spread hostility and conflict between us, neighboring countries, and Islamic states", President concluded.

In 2018, the Trump administration restored sanctions against Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced in May that Washington was withdrawing from an agreement on a nuclear program with Iran. Trump also reported on the restoration of all sanctions against Iran, including secondary ones, that is, in relation to other countries doing business with Iran.

On November 4, 2018, the United States re-imposed all remaining secondary sanctions on Iran that were previously lifted under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). This is the final action required to re-impose Iran sanctions since President Trump's May 8, 2018 announcement of the U.S.' withdrawal from the JCPOA. The U.S. initially re-imposed certain sanctions on August 7, 2018.

These sanctions imposed on Iran's port operators and shipping and shipbuilding sectors, on petroleum-related transactions with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), Naftiran Intertrade Company (NICO), and the Central Bank of Iran, on transactions by foreign financial institutions (FFIs) with the Central Bank of Iran, on the provision of specialized financial messaging services to the CBI and Iranian financial institutions, on the provision of underwriting services, insurance, or reinsurance and on Iran's energy sector.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94