Iranian minister: Country circumvents sanctions, yet admits difficulties
Namdar Zanganeh said that "the US has reached an 'evil maturity' in tightening the noose on Iran's economy," according to Radio Farda.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFA gas flare on an oil production platform in the Soroush oil fields is seen alongside an Iranian flag in the Persian Gulf, Iran, July 25, 2005(photo credit: RAHEB HOMAVANDI/REUTERS)
Iran's oil minister said that the Islamic republic found ways to circumvent US sanctions, Radio Farda reported on Sunday.According to the report, Bijan Namdar Zanganeh told Khane-ye Mellat, the official website of the Iranian Parliament, that although the new sanctions imposed by the Trump administration are different and more challenging to elude than the previous ones, Iran is still succeeding in sidestepping them."We have unofficial or unconventional sales, all of which are secret, because if they were made known, America would have immediately blocked them," Zanganeh said, according to Radio Farda, the Iranian branch of the US government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.He admitted that in the past month, China has stopped buying oil from Iran.The minister also said that Greece and Italy, whose waivers to buy Iranian oil were not renewed by the US administration last April, have not been responding to his recent phone calls.Zanganeh referred to the new rounds of sanctions as "smart sanctions," adding that "the US has reached an 'evil maturity' in tightening the noose on Iran's economy."In order to avoid embezzlement of profits from sales on the black market, the minister explained that a new system had been implemented, which entails seven different Iranian officials, including one from the Oil Ministry, signing and endorsing all transactions.The minister did not disclose the volume of current oil exports, declaring that he would not do so until the sanctions are lifted.
