No US govt. can stop Iran’s oil exports; sales jump despite sanctions: Oil minister

Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji says no administration in the United States can curb the Islamic Republic’s oil exports and that the oil sales has "jumped" over the past three years despite US sanctions.

Owji made the statement while presenting a report on the country's latest status of oil and gasoline output during a plenary session at the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) on Wednesday.

He said Iran’s crude oil production increased by more than 1.4 million barrels through round-the-clock work and relentless efforts in the past three years, adding, “Despite more than 600 new sanctions on the export of oil and petrochemical products, today, we are witnessing a jump in the export of oil and collection of the country's arrears.”

Owji asserted that the amount of Iran’s oil exports has tripled compared to the beginning of the sitting administration in 2020 and the foreign exchange revenue has also increased.

“With the measures taken by the government in the field of oil industry and the preparations made in the field of exporting oil and agricultural products, I must announce that any administration assuming office in the United States cannot hinder the Islamic Republic of Iran’s oil export and production,” he added.

Pointing to the fuel imbalance at the onset of the current administration, Owji said the Oil Ministry was taken over at a time that Iran’s daily output stood at 2.1 million barrels and that the oil exports had reached its lowest rate in the past decade.

“We had about 87 million barrels of oil aboard tankers at sea, of which 30 million were heavy and extra heavy crude. We had no sales in heavy and extra heavy oil at the beginning of the 13th administration,” he said.

‘Not even one cent in arrears’

The Iranian Oil Ministry also underlined in a statement on Wednesday that the administration of late president Ebrahim Raeisi laid the ground for the sale of oil and gas without o the JCPOA and the Western-led financial crime watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

“The 13th government without JCPOA and FATF, and under its smart, robust and active diplomacy was able to pave the way for the sale of oil and gas.

"Today, crude oil and gas condensate shipments are exported to many countries, and at the apex of the sanctions, we do not even have one cent in arrears," the ministry said.

The United States under former president Donald Trump reinstated crippling sanctions on Iran after unilaterally walking out of Iran’s nuclear deal in May 2018, despite the Islamic Republic’s full compliance with the terms of the 2015 deal between Tehran and world powers, known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The administration of US President Joe Biden, which has claimed a diplomatic approach to Iran and efforts to return to the 2015 nuclear program, has not only failed to return to the agreement but has also tightened the sanctions regime against the Islamic Republic.

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