OPEC heavyweight Iran said on Saturday that it would not disrupt its oil
exports as a weapon in its nuclear dispute with the West.
Iranian Oil Minister
Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh is shown on April 20, 2006. Iran said on Saturday
that it would not disrupt its oil exports as a weapon in its nuclear
dispute with the West.[Reuters] |
Fears that
Tehran, the world's fourth biggest oil exporter, could cut back its crude oil
exports or disrupt energy shipments from the Gulf have helped drive oil prices
to record highs above $75 a barrel in recent days.
Tension between Iran and the West escalated sharply this month after Tehran
said it had produced its first batch of enriched uranium and was forging ahead
with plans for industrial-scale output, despite U.N. demands that it halt all
enrichment work.
Western nations, who are threatening to press for U.N. sanctions, accuse Iran
of seeking to develop nuclear weapons and insist Iran stops enrichment, which
has military and civilian uses. Iran says it only wants to produce electricity.
Some Iranian officials have in the past suggested Tehran may use oil as a
weapon in the dispute.
But Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri said on Saturday Iran's oil supplies would not
be disrupted.
"We strongly believe there is no reason for sanctions but in any case we will
not cut our oil exports," the minister told Reuters on the sidelines of an
energy forum in Doha.
The United Nations Security Council may consider sanctions against Tehran
after studying a report due on April 28 from the International Atomic Agency
(IAEA) on whether Iran is meeting its demands for a halt to uranium enrichment.
"During the eight year war imposed on us by Iraq we never stopped exporting,"
the minister said in reference to the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq conflict.
He also quashed speculation that Iran could redirect exports to customers
that were sympathetic to its cause. Iran ships most of its crude to the Far East
while the majority of supplies to Europe goes to France, Italy, Spain, Greece
and Turkey.
"We will continue to meet our obligations to all of our customers," Vaziri
said.
NO RUSSIAN DEAL
In Moscow, a senior Iranian diplomat played down a radio report that Tehran
had a "basic agreement" with Moscow to enrich uranium in Russia and said no new
deal had been struck.
Earlier on Saturday Iranian state radio had quoted Iran's ambassador to the
IAEA Ali-Asghar Soltanieh as saying only a few technical, legal and financial
issues must be ironed out on a joint enrichment project with Russia.
But speaking to Reuters in Moscow, where Iranian officials have held talks
with Russian and European counterparts on the nuclear issue, Soltanieh said
there had been no new progress on the enrichment talks.
"Of course with the initiative of our Russian friends there have been some
discussions with our European friends, but that is all I can say at this stage,"
he said. "There is no new agreement. This is the principle agreement we have had
before."
Russia has offered to enrich uranium for Iran to allay concerns that Tehran
could use domestically produced enriched uranium to make nuclear bombs.
But progress on the deal has been hindered by Iran's refusal to bow to
international demands that it halt all home-grown enrichment work.
A "basic agreement" on enrichment with Russia was previously announced by
Iran in February but talks subsequently appeared to stall.
Soltanieh reiterated Iran's position that its case did not merit Security
Council involvement.
"We are appealing to the international community not (to) let this go along
the avenue to confrontation," he told Reuters.
"I advise that, rather than deteriorating the situation, let's find a ways
and