Rouhani: Denying Iran the Sale of Oil Will Be Very Dangerous

The President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, rejected the possibility of meeting with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, calling Washington's plan to sanction Iran's oil sales "impractical" and "dangerous." On Monday, October 2, during a meeting with a group of American media executives, Rouhani emphasized that Trump's administration's plan to sanction Iran's oil sales is "not only impractical but also very dangerous, and I hope we can continue trade with friendly countries within the framework of international regulations." He stressed that U.S. sanctions are not only harmful to Iran but also "harmful to international companies." Rouhani did not provide further explanation regarding his comments about the dangers of sanctioning Iran's oil sales. On July 2, he had also threatened that if Iran's oil is not allowed to be exported, then oil from other countries should not be exported from the Persian Gulf either. Following these remarks and other threats from Islamic Republic officials, Admiral John Richardson, the commander of U.S. naval operations, warned Iran that the United States would maintain freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz by any means necessary. Amid tensions between Iran and the U.S., Houthi rebels in Yemen targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, causing Saudi Arabia to temporarily halt oil exports from this strait. After this incident, Nasser Shabani, head of the Security and Defense Research Center at Imam Hussein University, controversially stated on August 6 that the Islamic Republic had asked the Yemeni rebels to attack the two Saudi oil tankers, which they did. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh also stated that "America's dream of cutting Iran's oil exports will not come true." On Monday, oil prices in global markets jumped about 2.5% compared to the previous day, reaching $81 per barrel, the highest level in four years. At an OPEC monitoring committee meeting, the U.S. request for Middle Eastern and OPEC countries to increase production was rejected. Meanwhile, Hossein Kazempour Ardebili, Iran's representative at OPEC, stated that contrary to Donald Trump's expectations, OPEC and its allied countries intend to increase production "slightly and with delay." The U.S. reinstated its first round of suspended sanctions against Iran on August 6 and announced that in the next round of sanctions, which will begin on November 4, it aims to reduce Iran's oil sales to zero. According to some analysts, oil sales sanctions and banking sanctions will be the most significant sanctions against Iran, a point acknowledged by some Islamic Republic officials. Meanwhile, the Supreme Economic Coordination Council of Iran approved on September 18 that the private sector can purchase and export petroleum products from the government to counter U.S. sanctions. Rouhani also stated in response to a question that he does not consider the potential meeting between the U.S. President and the North Korean leader comparable to a possible meeting between the Iranian and U.S. Presidents. He remarked that Trump's actions, including withdrawing from the JCPOA and "sanctioning and threatening" Iran, "cannot simply be overlooked." He added, "A meeting in itself is not significant, as meetings occur when we hope that differences will lessen and we will reach positive points. But today we have no hope regarding the behavior of the U.S. President and see no benefit or effect in this matter." He emphasized that "if one day we see that America sincerely seeks to rebuild relations, then we will decide and have a new atmosphere." Donald Trump, who withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear agreement with Iran to resume sanctions against Tehran, has stated he is ready to negotiate unconditionally with Iranian officials to reach another agreement. Trump has predicted that Iranian officials will soon negotiate with the U.S. government, emphasizing that Iran's economic situation is rapidly deteriorating. However, this proposal has been rejected by Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, who states that, like Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the current Iranian government, negotiations with the U.S. are prohibited. Nevertheless, the U.S. Secretary of State announced on October 1 that the U.S. President is interested in meeting with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stating, "That negotiation would be interesting and important." Several conservative members of the Iranian parliament, including Javad Karimi Qoddusi, have emphasized that the President and Foreign Minister of Iran have "no right to meet" with U.S. officials during their trip to New York. Rouhani had a phone conversation with U.S. President Barack Obama during his first trip to New York. In this context, U.S. naval exercises in the Persian Gulf coincide with rising tensions with Iran.