Iran Producing More Oil And Selling At Higher Price

“The United States has on several occasions in the past months violated Iranian oil tankers to prevent export of shipments," Javad Owji said in an interview carried by Iranian media.

"When the enemy realized it could not stop our exports and contracts, they went after our ships," Owji said.

The rise had "even increased the bargaining power of friends in Vienna," he said, without elaborating.

His remarks follow reports of a recent seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in the Bahamas, even as indirect Iran-US talks in Vienna to revive a 2015 nuclear deal could see the lifting of sanctions.

A last-minute demand by Russia, a close ally of Iran, has forced world powers meeting in the Austrian capital to pause for an undetermined time, despite having a largely completed text.

On March 5, Russia unexpectedly demanded sweeping guarantees its trade with Iran would not be affected by sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine - a demand Western powers say is unacceptable and Washington has said it won't accept.

"Iran's oil exports have risen under the toughest sanctions and without waiting for the outcome of the Vienna talks," said Owji.

The increase was thanks to "different methods used to win contracts and finding different buyers," Owji said.

With reporting by Reuters

The agency said that “US law enforcement” had directed “Greek-managed vessels” to discharge the oil, worth “over $38 million,” in Houston, Texas and the Bahamas.

Under US ‘maximum pressure’ sanctions any third party buying Iranian oil could face punitive action. The US in 2020 sold the contents of four tankers of Iranian oil heading to Venezuela. While much of the proceeds from such seizures is absorbed by ‘administration’ and lawyers’ fees, they have also led to legal action for compensation by relatives of victims of the 2001, ‘9-11’ al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington.

Iran, which has kept up reduced oil exports since US ‘maximum pressure’ began in 2018, is moving stocks of over 100 million barrels onto ships, apparently preparing for sanctions easing should agreement be reached in Vienna talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear program. Rising oil prices have already boosted Iran’s revenue. Iran exported less than half the average 2.4 million barrels per day it pumped in 2021 but could be well placed to meet shortfalls caused by US sanctions against Russia over Ukraine.

Addressing members of Iran’s Assembly of Experts on Thursday, Khamenei insisted that to retreat in the face of American pressure or any other power for securing protection against sanctions, will deal a blow to the nation's power.

He added that Islamic Republic’s presence in regional countries and its nuclear program are two factors that contribute to the country’s national power, saying, “Regional presence gives us more strategic depth and national strength. Why should we give it up? Scientific nuclear progress is needed for country’s future”.

Khamenei said it is naïve to reduce Iran’s military programs to get concessions from the West, noting that “security” and military power contributes to Iran’s bargaining power “to fulfill national interests at the regional and global front.” He added, “It is vital for any country to have national power”.

Iran has boosted its uranium enrichment since the United States withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement and continued it support for regional militant groups that act as its proxies in various countries. It has also expanded its missile program that West and several regional countries, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia are concerned about.

The study group said on Tuesday that the Biden administration needs to focus on boosting domestic energy supplies rather than funding terrorist regimes following the ban on Russian oil over the invasion of Ukraine.

The GOP members of Congress are trying to prevent replacing Russian oil with new imports from Iran amid rising gas prices, saying Biden should lift his executive orders that canceled the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada and froze new oil and gas leases on federal lands.

RSC chairman Jim Banks says Biden crushed the energy industry when “he left Americans dependent on our foreign adversaries for oil. This sent gas prices through the roof and allowed Putin to fund his unprovoked war."

"To add insult to injury, the Biden administration is now considering buying oil from Iran, the world’s largest state sponsor of terror. There is absolutely no reason to import terrorist’s oil when we can drill better, cheaper, and cleaner right here at home", Banks continued.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio said in a Fox news opinion piece on Wednesday that Iran is supplying Russia with illicit oil to finance his war in Ukraine, adding. “This is alarming to say the least, because America and its allies are on the verge of providing a $10 billion windfall to the terrorist regime in Tehran”.

Sen. Rubio did not provide any more details of the alleged scheme.

A member of the Islamic Republic parliament’s foreign policy committee, Hossein Noushabadi, said on Wednesday that the important issues have been resolved to revive the nuclear deal.

He said the final decision on the fate of the nuclear deal needs to be made by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

A former Trump Administration official said last week that information he received from unnamed officials indicated that US negotiators have agreed to lift terror-related sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities.

A hardliner lawmaker had reiterated last week that a good nuclear agreement is one that removes the IRGC from the list of terrorist organizations.

Ebrahim Rezaei has said that the Islamic Republic wants the United States to remove all sanctions imposed on the IRGC, in addition to all other sanctions imposed since 2018.

Noushabadi’s remarks echoed similar ones by the spokesman of the foreign policy committee who last week described removing the IRGC from the US list of terrorist entities as one of the necessary measures to revive the JCPOA nuclear deal.

Abbaszadeh-Meshkini said, "When we say the lifting of all sanctions, it means institutions, companies and individuals; removing the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) from the list of terrorist organizations is also one of the expectations of the Islamic Republic.”