Zanganeh calls on OPEC to back sanction-hit states
Iran is seeking the inclusion of a separate agenda in next OPEC ministerial meeting for supporting those members that are under illegal, unilateral sanctions. The call came in a letter sent by Iran’s Oil Minister to the rotating chairman of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Conference Suhail Mohamed Faraj al-mazrouei, reported Fars News Agency.
“If sanctions are imposed, Iran’s share of oil market would decrease, but when illegal limitations are lifted Iran would return to its normal production level immediately and will not accept any limitation in this concern,” Zanganeh said, addressing al-mazrouei, who is also the United Arab Emirates minister of energy and industry.
Zanganeh pointed to the unilateral and illegal US sanctions against Iran, and said, “The Article 2 of OPEC Statute stipulates supporting the interests of all member-states.”
US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that Washington would pull out of Iran nuclear deal and reinstate nuclear sanctions on Tehran.
This is while most world powers, including Russia, China, and the European Union, have repeatedly stressed that keeping the deal is in the interest of the world peace and security.
After Trump’s declaration, the Iranian government issued a statement, calling the US withdrawal as ‘unlawful’. The statement underlined Iran’s prerequisites for continuing the deal with the five world powers after the US pullout of the agreement.