Russia to reroute oil exports to ‘friendly’ states

 

© Getty Images / Nicholas Prylutskyy / EyeEm

Source: RT

Energy supplies will not go to countries that support price caps, Deputy PM Novak has said

Russia intends to shift the exports of its oil and petroleum products to ‘friendly’ countries this year, increasing their share in total supplies shipped abroad to 75-80%, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak has revealed.

“As for supplies to states that maintain illegitimate price restrictions, our position here is widely known and remains unchanged: such countries will not receive Russian oil,” Novak wrote in an article for the magazine Energy Policy on Monday.

He noted that oil production in Russia amounted to 535.2 million tons in 2022, which is 2% more than in the previous year. Oil exports increased by 7.6%, to 242 million tons, Novak wrote.

The deputy PM also noted that last year, in order to reorient Russian oil supply to friendly countries, a project was implemented to increase transportation via the major eastern port of Kozmino. As a result, deliveries to the countries in the Asia-Pacific region rose to 42 million tons per year.

Moscow has been diversifying its energy supplies in response to Western sanctions. The EU’s ban on Russian refined petroleum products, which came into force on February 5, set a price limit of $100 per barrel for diesel, jet fuel, and gasoline from Russia, and a $45-per-barrel cap for other oil products that trade below the crude price, such as fuel oil used in industry.

The price caps, together with an EU ban on imports of Russian oil products, are part of a broader agreement among the G7 countries. It follows a $60-per-barrel cap on Russian crude that the G7 along with the EU and Australia imposed on December 5.

The measures prohibit Western companies from financing, insuring, trading, brokering, or carrying cargoes of Russian crude and oil products unless they were bought at or below the set price caps.

Moscow has opposed any attempts to cap the prices of its energy exports. The Russian government has banned crude sales to buyers that mention the price ceiling in their contracts, and a similar restriction is expected to be introduced in response to the EU’s latest cap on oil products.
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Related:

Iran’s ‘ghost fleet’ shipping sanctioned Russian oil

Russia boosts gas supply to China

Iran 'powers up' nuclear plant

Iran's atomic body says it expects the nuclear-fuel transfer 
to be completed by September 5 [AFP]

Source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/08/201082152655599545.html

Iran has started loading fuel into its first Russian-built nuclear power plant.

After decades of delay, engineers finally began loading the Russia-supplied fuel into the Bushehr plant in southern Iran on Saturday.

The development is a major milestone in Iran's atomic programme despite UN sanctions.

The transfer took place under the scrutiny of International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] inspectors, according to a statement by Iran's atomic energy organisation.

"The operation of transferring nuclear fuel to the reactor was carried out in [the] presence of Ali Akbar Salehi, vice-president and head of Iran's atomic body, and Sergei Kiriyenko, head of Russia's atomic body, Rosatom," it said.

Al Jazeera's Neave Barker, reporting from Moscow, said it will take "several months before the plant is up and running fully and, according to Rosatom, Russia will continue to play an active role in the running of the plant for several more years."

Fuel Pool

A first lorry-load of fuel was taken from a storage site to a fuel "pool" inside the reactor building on Saturday.

Over the next 10 days, 163 fuel rods - equal to 80 tonnes of uranium fuel - will be moved inside the building and then into the reactor core "after necessary inspections", the statement said.

The $1bn plant's 1,000-megawatt light-water reactor will pump electricity to Iranian cities.

Last week, Salehi said the fuel transfer would be complete by September 5.

Iran plans to build 10 new uranium enrichment sites inside protected mountain strongholds.

According to Iranian officials, construction on the first one will begin in March in defiance of the UN sanctions.

Nationwide celebrations were planned for Saturday's fuel loading at Bushehr.

Ali Shirzadian, the spokesman for the Iranian atomic energy organisation, said on Friday that the plant's actual commissioning would come in October or November when the electricity it generates connects to the national grid.

The launch comes despite the fact that Russia, a long-time nuclear ally, has toughened its stance on Iran's nuclear programme.

In June, Russia backed a fourth round of UN sanctions against Iran over its uranium enrichment, the most controversial part of its atomic programme and which the West believes is aimed at making nuclear weapons, a charge the country strongly denies.

Iran has said it is enriching uranium to power nuclear reactors so it can eventually generate electricity of around 20,000MW.

Energy Exporter

Despite being the world's second-largest exporter of crude oil and having the world's second largest gas reserves, Iran insists it needs nuclear power for when its fossil fuels eventually run out.

Salehi, the Iranian atomic-body head, said on Friday that Iran will continue enriching uranium to make fuel for the Bushehr plant as the country might not always buy it from Moscow.

"The Bushehr plant has a life span of 60 years and we plan to use it for 40 years. Suppose we buy fuel for 10 years from Russia. What are we going to do for the next 30 to 50 years?" the state news agency, IRNA, quoted him as saying.

Russia has already supplied 82 tonnes of fuel for Bushehr and plans to take back the spent material to avoid any misuse.

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said on Wednesday the Bushehr plant would keep Iran firmly fixed to the peaceful use of nuclear power.

"It is a most important anchor which keeps Iran within the regime of non-proliferation," he said.

Mark Fitzpatrick, an expert in non-proliferation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, said Bushehr is not a proliferation risk "as long as it is run to produce power for electricity generation".

"It would be a risk if Iran operated it differently, for short periods at low-burn up in order to produce weapons-usable plutonium - but in this case the IAEA would know," he said, referring to the UN atomic watchdog.

Shah-Era Project

Work on the Bushehr plant, which is not targeted under UN or other sanctions, began in the 1970s under the rule of the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the US-backed deposed ruler, using contractors from Siemens, the German firm.

The Bushehr project was put on hold when the shah was toppled in the 1979 Islamic revolution, and was revived a decade later under Ali Khamenei, the current supreme leader.

The Bushehr plant is not considered a proliferation risk because the terms of the deal commit the Iranians to allowing the Russians to retrieve all used reactor fuel for reprocessing.

Spent fuel contains plutonium, which can be used to make atomic weapons.

Additionally, Iran has said that IAEA experts will be able to verify that none of the fresh fuel or waste is diverted.

"The real test of trust for the opening of Bushehr is whether or not Iran will agree to send those fuel rods back and honour its contract in the coming years," our correspondent said.

In 1994, Russia agreed to complete its construction, but since then "technical problems" and disputes between Moscow and Tehran delayed its completion.

Fresh doubts over Bushehr were raised after Moscow voted for the latest UN sanctions, followed by comments made by Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, that Iran was close to attaining the potential to build a nuclear weapon.

This triggered an angry response from Iran, as Moscow's position has always been that Tehran has the right to peaceful nuclear energy.

Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's envoy to the IAEA, accused Moscow of delaying Bushehr's start-up, saying "it is hard to believe that the technical issues continue to delay the completion of the plant over the past 15 years".

Bushehr has always been seen as a potential target in the event of a military attack by the US and Israel, who have never ruled out military action against Iran's nuclear program.
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Iran's Nuclear Plant Fueling Irks Israel



Iran started loading the Bushehr nuclear power plant with the first 
fuel on August 21.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/139619.html

Israel, widely assumed to be the only regime with nuclear weapons in the Middle East, has called Iran's fueling of its Bushehr nuclear power plant "totally unacceptable.”

Tel Aviv has also urged pressure on Tehran's civilian nuclear program in a Saturday statement issued by Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yossi Levy.

"The international community should increase pressure on to force Iran to abide by international decisions and cease its enrichment activities and its construction of reactors," Levy said in the statement, quoted by Reuters.

He also accused Iran of breaching the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) of which the Islamic Republic is a signatory while Israel has refused to sign.

The Israeli official made the comments after the Islamic Republic celebrated the launch of its reactor in Bushehr in southern Iran on Saturday.

On Saturday, Iran started loading its first nuclear power plant with fuel in a move to provide the country with nuclear-generated electricity.

The Israeli reaction to the Bushehr plant fueling comes despite a board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in June in which Arab nations denounced Israel for preventing the Middle East from becoming a nuclear-free region.

In the IAEA board session, which addressed Israel's nuclear issue for the first time since 1991, Arab states called on the regime to come clean about its nuclear capabilities and allow international investigations.

"Israel continues to defy the international community, through its continued refusal to accede to the treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons," Arab countries said in a statement.
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Putin Lauds Startup of Iran's Reactor



Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (L) meets with Sergei Kiriyenko,
Russia's nuclear chief, at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/139375.html

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has been briefed on latest developments in Iran's first nuclear power plant due to be fueled with uranium on Saturday.

Sergei Kiriyenko, Russia's nuclear chief, described the startup of Iran's first major reactor in the southern port of Bushehr as a "landmark event" in his meeting with Putin on Thursday.

"I congratulate you on that," Putin reportedly told Kiriyenko.

"I report to you that we and our Iranian partners have maintained our schedule. This Saturday, August 21, we are beginning the physical launch of the station. It will be done under the eyes of IAEA inspectors," said Kiriyenko.

Iran says Moscow's fulfillment of its commitment to complete the Bushehr nuclear power plant has made Russia a favored contractor for future nuclear projects in the Islamic Republic.

"Considering Russia's expertise… in constructing the Bushehr nuclear plant, the country will be given priority for future nuclear cooperation with Iran," said Tehran's Ambassador to Russia Seyyed Mahmoudreza Sajjadi, quoted by Mehr news agency on Wednesday.

The Iranian envoy stated that the launch of the nuclear plant will open a new chapter in relations between the two countries.

Western corporations began the construction of the Bushehr nuclear facility in the 1970s in close collaboration with the former Iranian dictator Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. However, following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran that overthrew the Shah, the Western firms reneged on their commitments and abandoned the project without ever compensating the Iranian government for the incomplete work.

Iran then turned to Russia to complete the project. In 1992, the two countries signed a deal to complete the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

The Bushehr plant was originally scheduled to be completed by 1999. However, the work has repeatedly been delayed for numerous reasons, including major pressures on the Russian government by the US, Israel and their European allies.

Iran asked to resolve Afghan crisis

Germany's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Michael Steiner


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=138242§ionid=351020101


A senior German official has called on Iran to play a significant role in settling the ongoing Afghanistan crisis caused by the 2001 US-led invasion of the country.

Germany's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Michael Steiner, said the Islamic Republic plays an important role in finding solutions to the crisis in Afghanistan and called for Tehran's cooperation, IRNA reported.

"The West has made several mistakes in Afghanistan during recent years, including resorting to military approaches and paying no heed to the role of regional countries," Steiner said in a meeting with Head of Iran's Parliament (Majlis) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, on Tuesday.

The German official further added that any solution to the Afghan crisis demands cooperation of all the countries in the region, saying Germany calls for joint efforts with Iran on Afghanistan.

Steiner also stressed the importance of reaching a political understanding among influential countries in the region and said military options cannot help establish peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Boroujerdi, for his part, said that Iran's strategic policy is based on establishing sustainable security and peace in Afghanistan.

"The experience of recent years suggests that the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan has promoted insecurity in the entire region," he said.

"None of the objectives of the foreign forces in Afghanistan have been achieved, while narcotics and terrorism are posing great threats to regional and international security," he further explained.

According to Boroujerdi, any solution to the Afghan crisis needs the use of all regional capabilities.

He voiced Iran's readiness to continue cooperation with countries to settle the crisis in Afghanistan and fight against drugs.

Sanctions prelude to dollar's extinction

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=137880§ionid=351020101


Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insists that the anti-Iran sanctions will serve as a stepping stone to eradicate domination of (US) dollar in the world.

President Ahmadinejad also reiterated that those countries that have followed the US lead in the sanctions efforts have denied themselves any role in Iran's economy, IRNA reported Sunday.

In an address to an event commemorating the international week of mosques, the president expounded on measures to encounter Western sanctions on Iran and emphasized that we will used the sanctions as an opportunity to expand the country's domestic manufacturing and globalizing Iranian commodities and products.

The Iranian president described the US-led sanctions as an oppressive effort and a sort of a psychological warfare in order to force the Iranian nation to compromise on their principles, adding that "this nation will never compromise on its independence, integrity, principles, demanding justice and opposing oppression."

President Ahmadinejad also reiterated that the time of those behind the anti-Iran sanctions is coming to a closure as they have further discredited themselves by adopting such measures.

Iran rejects negotiating under threat

Hossein Sheikholeslam, Advisor to Iran's Majlis Speaker
on international affairs.


Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=137876§ionid=351020101


An aid to Iran's parliament (Majlis) speaker has reiterated Iran's refusal to negotiate with the West under dual approaches of imposing sanctions and then pushing for talks.

Hossein Sheikholeslam, advisor to the Majlis speaker on international affairs, rejected in an interview with Fars news agency the so-called 'carrot and stick' approach employed by the West to gain an upper hand in negotiations as unproductive and based on uneven terms, adding that such tactics are commonly employed by oppressive powers.

Sheikholeslam emphasized that in passing the anti-Iran resolution 1929, the UN Security Council acted contrary to the UN charter's principle of enhancing global security.

He explained that the resolution allows countries to inspect Iranian ships merely based on perceived suspicions and doubts and creating such an environment against Iran does not bring about a safer world.

Sheikholeslam described the sanctions approved by the European Union against Iran as "potentially dangerous" but added that Europe is yet to enforce such sanctions.

He also noted that the US-sponsored anti-Iran sanctions came right after Iran, Turkey and Brazil issued a trilateral declaration in which Iran agreed to a nuclear fuel swap through Turkey, removing the major Western hurdle in advancing talks on Iran's nuclear program.

The Iranian official added that Western sanctions against Iranian banks have already been enforced but with little impact since those countries participating in the US-backed sanctions never had any effective banking relations with the Islamic Republic.

The US-sponsored sanctions resolution was passed last June after intense efforts and international lobbying by the Obama administration to win votes in the UN Security Council. After the passage of the resolutions, however, the US and its European allies began to press for additional unilateral sanctions against Iran, targeting its shipping, banking and oil industries.

US imposes more Iran sanctions

The Iranian leadership insists the sanctions 
will have no effect on the country [AFP]

Source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/08/2010844718458181.html

The US government has imposed sanctions on 21 Iranian government firms, increasing international pressure over the country's disputed nuclear program.

Accusing Tehran of trying to dodge sanctions by setting up opaque trading companies, the US treasury department on Tuesday also named a host of banking, mining and other companies - spread throughout Europe and Japan -as government-backed.

"As its isolation from the international financial and commercial systems increases, the government of Iran will continue efforts to evade sanctions," Stuart Levey, the treasury undersecretary, said.

Those moves, he said, included "using government-owned entities around the world that are not easily identifiable as Iranian to facilitate transactions in support of their illicit activities".

The treasury also announced sanctions against individuals and groups to target "the government of Iran's support for terrorism and terrorist organizations," that include Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Taliban.

Taliban Support

Senior members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard were among those named, including Mohammad Reza Zahedi and Hossein Musavi - a commander who, the treasury said, had "provided financial and material support to the Taliban".

It also accused the Revolutionary Guard of running aid operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon as cover for intelligence operations as well as funding armed groups.

The 21 firms included two Belarus-based banks, two Germany-based investment firms, and mining and engineering companies in Japan, Germany, Luxembourg, Italy and Iran.

US citizens and businesses will now be barred from doing business with the proscribed companies.

It is the latest in a series of US moves aimed at increasing pressure on Iran, which Western governments say is trying to build a nuclear weapon. Iran denies the charge and says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

White House Rebuffs Iran Call for Talks



US President Barack Obama (L) and Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=137362&sectionid=351020101

The White House has rejected a call from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for face-to-face talks with his US counterpart Barack Obama.

"We have always said that we'd be willing to sit down and discuss Iran's illicit nuclear program, if Iran is serious about doing that," AFP quoted White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs as saying on Tuesday.

"To date, that seriousness has not been there," he added.

Gibbs, however, held the door open to US-Iran talks as the State Department saw signs that Iran may now be seeking a dialogue with Tehran under the pressure of "new sanctions."

Also, US State Department Spokesman Philip Crowley said, "Iran may now be seeking a dialogue with Washington because it is feeling the bite of sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council, the United States, European Union and others."

"The cost of doing business for Iran is going up," Crowley said.

His comments come as Tehran has repeatedly declared that it will not relinquish the legitimate nuclear rights of the Iranian nation under Western pressure.

"We're encouraged by what we're seeing... We sense that there may well be a willingness on the part of Iran to enter into the kind of dialogue that we have long sought," he added.

"We are willing to meet Iran any time any place within the P5-plus-1," he concluded, referring to the US, Britain, Russia, France, China and Germany.

On Monday, Ahmadinejad criticized Obama for missing "historic opportunities" to repair the broken relations with Iran and expressed readiness to meet him for face-to-face talks based on justice and mutual respect.

In an address to a gathering of Iranian expatriates in Tehran, Ahmadinejad said that he is ready to hold talks with Obama at the end of September, when he plans to go to New York to attend the UN General Assembly.

"We are ready to sit down with Mr. Obama face-to-face and put the global issues on the table, and see whose solutions are better. We think this is a better approach," Ahmadinejad said.

The Iranian president went on to say that he is ready to hold talks with President Obama "in front of the media" at the end of September, when he plans to go to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, Mehr News Agency reported.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ahmadinejad Invites Obama for Talks



Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=137166&sectionid=351020101

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has expressed readiness for face-to-face talks based on justice and mutual respect with his US counterpart Barack Obama.

"We will put the solutions to world issues on the table, and see who has a better approach," Ahmadinejad said on Monday, adding that if Obama's ideas are righteous Iran will accept them.

The Iranian president went on to say that he is ready to hold talks with President Obama "in front of the media" at the end of September, when he plans to go to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, Mehr News Agency reported.

He made the comments in an address to a gathering of Iranian expatriates in Tehran on Monday.

Ahmadinejad also criticized Obama for giving too much value to Israelis, saying that the US administration must determine whether the Zionists dominate it or it is dominating the Zionist regime?

Japan to slap extra sanctions on Iran

Okada says Tokyo will use the US and EU sanctions as a
reference when drafting its own set of anti-Iran sanctions



Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=137307§ionid=351020101


Japan plans to impose additional sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, following similar moves by the US, the EU and some other states.

Japan voted in favor of a June 9 UN Security Council resolution to impose a fourth round of sanctions against Iran.

Following the UN measures, the United States, the European Union, Australia and Canada imposed unilateral sanctions against Iran, which mainly target the country's oil and gas industry.

The Cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan approved on Tuesday a set of additional sanctions, including a freeze on the assets of 40 organizations and one individual, the official Kyodo news agency reported.

The move comes despite opposition by some Japanese officials, who have voiced concern that additional sanctions could hamper trade relations with Iran, a key supplier of oil to Japan.

Iran has stressed that sanctions have no impact on its economy, saying they will only hurt those countries, which have taken such measures against Tehran.

The organizations to be banned include First East Export Bank, an affiliate of Iran's state-owned Bank Mellat, and enterprises linked to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), the report said.

The government will also ban in principle Iranian investment in Japanese firms involved in nuclear technology development.

Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said Tokyo would use the US and EU sanctions as a reference when drafting its own set of sanctions against Iran.

“We have to take concerted action with the United States and European Union. Sanctions cannot be lifted as long as Iran ignores UN Security Council resolutions and continues its uranium enrichment to 20 percent purity,” Okada said.

Iran in May agreed to send its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for fuel for the Tehran research reactor.

The decision, however, was cold-shouldered by the West, with the US drafting a resolution, which was approved by the UN Security Council in June.

Russia critical of new EU sanctions

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=136400&sectionid=351020101


Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has expressed strong disapproval of new EU sanctions against Iran's nuclear program.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said EU sanctions on Iran would hamper international efforts to resolve Tehran's disputed nuclear issue, Reuters reported.

"We have already said many times that we consider unacceptable the practice of unilateral or collective sanctions measures against Iran, that go beyond the Security Council sanctions regime in
operation in the country," AFP quoted the Russian minister as saying in a statement released on Tuesday.

The EU sanctions show "disregard for the carefully regulated and coordinated provisions of the UN Security Council," he continued.

The European Union on Monday adopted new sanctions against Iran which mainly target investment and technical assistance to Iran's refining, liquefaction and natural gas sectors.

Iranian officials have condemned the act, arguing that EU's anti-Iran sanctions were approved due to US pressure on the Western block.

"Sanctions… will only complicate matters and move away [the parties] from mutual understanding," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted by IRNA as saying on Monday.

Iran MP warns EU against sanctions

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of Majlis National
Security and Foreign Policy Commission



Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=136240§ionid=351020101


A senior Iranian lawmaker has warned the European Union against imposing any additional sanctions on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program.

“If EU wants to follow US policies on Iran and impose additional sanctions on the country, Islamic Republic will reconsider its cooperation with the member states,” head of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said,

Boroujerdi added that the EU is a political union of 27 independent member states but, regarding Islamic Republic, it always follow US policies and can not make an independent decision.

The warning came just a day before the European Union is expected to impose unilateral sanctions on Tehran at a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday.

The EU reached agreement on Thursday on a package of sanctions which includes measures against Iran's oil and gas industry.

On June 9, the UN Security Council passed a US-drafted sanctions resolution against Iran over its nuclear program. The US and EU have since adopted unilateral measures against Iran.

Iranian officials say that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty the country has the right to peaceful nuclear technology for civilian electricity generation and medical research.

Tehran has repeatedly declared that it will not relinquish the legitimate nuclear rights of the Iranian nation under Western pressure.

Tehran, Ankara seal pipeline deal

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=135937&sectionid=351020103


Tehran and Ankara have reportedly signed a deal to build a one-billion-euro pipeline that will ultimately export Iran's natural gas to Europe.

Oil Minster Masoud Mirkazemi on Friday confirmed that the National Iranian Gas Export Company (NIGC) and Turkey's ASB Co. have signed a contract to build a 660-kilometer pipeline that will cross Turkey.

Based on the contract signed on Thursday, the pipeline is expected to be completed over the next three years and upon completion it will export 50 to 60 million meters of gas per day, head of the NIGC Javad Oji said in an interview on the oil ministry's Website Shana.

In October 2009, during Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Tehran, the two countries signed memorandums of understanding on oil and gas cooperation as well as transferring Iran's gas to European markets via Turkey.

Iran currently exports 25 million cubic meters of natural gas to Turkey per day and the figure could be increased to 30 million cubic meters a day.

EU to go unilateral against Iran, following US model

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120782&sectionid=351020104


Finland's foreign minister claims consensus in the European Union for new Iran sanctions over its nuclear program vowing to act unilaterally without a UN resolution.

Following the footsteps of the US, Alexander Stubb, whose country is hosting a meeting of EU foreign ministers and Turkey, announces that the European bloc will impose unilateral sanctions on Tehran in case Beijing and Moscow refuse to support a similar move at the UN Security Council.

"I think we'll be able to convince Russia and China and I'm quite hopeful that we'll get something in the Security Council," he said in Lapland in northern Finland, where the event is being held.

"But failing that, we'll just have to do it unilaterally and by unilateral I mean the EU directly on Iran," he added, according to local media reports.

Washington and its European allies have been pushing for a fourth round of sanctions against Iran to restrict its nuclear work.

The Western powers claim Tehran's nuclear program is aimed at developing nuclear weapons, a charge that the inspectors of UN's nuclear watchdog stationed in Iran have been unable to substantiate.

Many observers in US and Europe have highlighted the West's double standards regarding Iran's nuclear issue. They point to West's inaction regarding three countries, namely Israel, India and Pakistan, which not only possess nuclear arms but have refuse to sign any international treaty regulating nuclear activities and controlling proliferation.

Iran, on the other hand, is a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. No country, evidently, has ever been subjected to more voluntary IAEA inspections than Iran. The Islamic Republic has always maintained the civilian nature of its nuclear program and has repeatedly called for the elimination of all nuclear arms globally, a call ignored by nuclear powers and the West.

It is incredible, the observers argue, how so much pressure is being fiercely mobilized by the West against a country that has voluntarily accepted international inspections but refuses to succumb to unreasonable demands mostly pushed by countries that possess and continue to develop atomic arms.