Iran faces no problem in oil sales: Oil Ministry official
Press TV (Iran)Sun Jan 13, 2013 8:12AM GMT
http://presstv.com/detail/2013/01/13/283273/no-problem-in-selling-oil-iran/

The Iranian Oil Ministry spokesman says Iran faces no problem selling its
oil despite tough US-engineered sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

“We do not have even one crude oil barrel without customer in the Persian
Gulf region at present,” Alireza Nikzad-Rahbar said on Saturday, adding that
there is no Iranian crude oil saved in oil tankers.

The Iranian official stated that Iran’s oil export is currently in “normal
conditions.” The country succeeded in managing the oil market despite
international restrictions, he added.

Nikzad-Rahbar said Iran had signed long-term contracts with China on crude
oil exports.

In December 2012, China’s state-run Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp announced plans to
continue crude oil imports from Iran at a steady volume for the next year in
defiance of the US-led sanctions against Tehran.

Chinese trading officials said that the Beijing-based company would keep
importing around 230,000 bpd (barrels per day) of Iranian crude in 2013.

China is Iran’s top trade partner.

Beijing has also publicly criticized the US-led sanctions against Tehran
over its nuclear energy program.

At the beginning of 2012, the United States and the European Union imposed
new sanctions on Iran’s oil and financial sectors with the goal of
preventing other countries from purchasing Iranian oil and conducting
transactions with the Central Bank of Iran.

On October 15, 2012, the EU foreign ministers reached an agreement on
another round of sanctions against Iran.

The illegal US-engineered sanctions were imposed based on the unfounded
accusation that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear
energy program.

Iran rejects the allegation, arguing that as a committed signatory to the
Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy
Agency, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

SF/HSN/MA