Jahangiri: We Have Found New Ways to Sell Oil

Es'hagh Jahangiri, the First Vice President of Iran, described the zeroing out of Iran's oil exports as 'a very dangerous but impossible statement' in an interview with the Japanese news agency Kyodo. According to Jahangiri, Iran has found 'new ways' to sell its oil. The First Vice President of Iran did not provide further details about these new oil sales methods but emphasized: 'Even if our main economic partners reduce their oil purchases, we have found new partners and have sold oil to them, and we will continue this path.' U.S. officials have repeatedly spoken about their efforts to bring Iran's oil exports to zero following the implementation of a new phase of economic sanctions against Iran. In response to this threat, President Hassan Rouhani has warned multiple times in recent months that if Iran cannot export its oil, no oil will be exported from the Persian Gulf, even mentioning the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Recently, during a trip to Semnan Province, the Iranian President made similar statements. However, Es'hagh Jahangiri, in an interview with Kyodo, preferred to evade a direct answer regarding the possibility of closing the Strait of Hormuz, stating, 'We have various options, and we will make the appropriate decision based on the circumstances.' Jahangiri considered the likelihood of zeroing out Iran's oil exports as 'very weak' and insisted that Iran 'will definitely' export its oil. He also stated: 'If our oil exports are halted, the world can be assured that we will not remain silent and will definitely take appropriate action.' It is expected that after the expiration of the six-month exemption period granted by the U.S. to eight major buyers of Iranian oil, Iran's oil exports will significantly decrease. The Iranian government's revenues have reportedly 'decreased to one-third' due to sanctions. In the upcoming budget, the Iranian Planning and Budget Organization has forecasted daily oil sales of 1.5 million barrels, which is over one million barrels less than the oil exports in the current and previous years. In this interview, Es'hagh Jahangiri expressed hope that 'all governments, including the Japanese government, will stand against the unilateralism of the U.S. and use their capabilities to prevent U.S. unilateralism and maintain their independence in the world.' Jahangiri acknowledged that U.S. sanctions against Iran have undoubtedly imposed various pressures on the people, which he said 'have mostly affected the lower classes of society.' U.S. officials have repeatedly stated that the goal of the sanctions against Iran is not the Iranian people, but rather to change the behavior of the Iranian government. In another part of his interview, Es'hagh Jahangiri expressed hope that the European Union would expedite the promised financial mechanism so that the trust of the Iranian people in the EU would not be lost. According to Jahangiri, 'the Europeans have a serious will and are looking for new solutions to continue cooperation with Iran.' He also emphasized that 'the day we are sure they can no longer do anything, we will definitely take our actions.' Another part of Es'hagh Jahangiri's interview with Kyodo focused on Iran's missile program and tests. Jahangiri reiterated that Iran's missiles are 'merely a defensive and deterrent weapon.' The First Vice President of Iran emphasized that 'Iran does not seek permission from anyone to determine the range of its missiles' and stated: 'We will confront anything we feel is a threat against us and will build missiles according to our defensive needs.' The recent missile test in Iran was raised by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Twitter, who accused Iran of violating UN Security Council Resolution 2231 due to a test of a medium-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Following this, the UN Security Council convened at the request of Nikki Haley to discuss the matter. Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, reacted to the Security Council meeting regarding Iran's recent missile test, stating that the Islamic Republic's missile program does not contradict 'the Security Council resolution.' Iran also accused the U.S. of 'misusing' the Security Council for its 'malicious purposes.'