Iran To Stop Oil Exports To Europe: Tensions Rise
Iran’s Oil Minister said Saturday that Iran will “definitely” halt the sale of crude to a number of European countries.
The Mehr News Agency reports that Rostam Ghassemi told a press conference on Saturday: “In terms of stopping crude exports to other European countries, we will decide later.” He did not, however, identify any specific countries.
The European Union has announced that it will not purchase any more petroleum products from Iran, allowing six months for current sales contracts to come to an end. Iran has responded by saying it will lay sanctions on Europe, cutting off oil sales effective immediately.
Oil Minister Ghassemi called on the EU to reconsider its decision to impose an oil embargo against Iran. He added: “Sanctions on Iranian oil will only create heavy costs for the European people, meanwhile Iran can find other purchasers.”
Ghassemi said Iran has refrained from stopping the flow of oil to Europe in winter because Iran is committed to “humanitarian values” in its dealings with the international community.
He stressed, however, that countries that have assumed an “aggressive stance against Iran” will be blacklisted by the Iranian oil industry.
