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DUBAI, July 7 (Reuters) – Iran's oil minister Bijan Zanganeh said on Sunday he hoped the country's crude oil exports would improve, national television said, despite tougher sanctions imposed on Tehran .
"I am hopeful that our oil exports will increase," Zanganeh said on national television, adding that the price of oil was not Iran's main concern.
"What counts now for Iran is the amount of oil we can export," Zanganeh said.
Last month, industry sources told Reuters Iran's crude oil exports dropped to 300,000 barrels a day (or less per day) or less after Washington's sanctions on oil exports tightened of the country in May. In April 2018, exports increased to more than 2.5 million bpd.
Zanganeh has accused the United States, long-time enemies of Iran, of destabilizing the oil market.
"Destabilizing the market is in the interest of the United States (…) cooperation between OPEC members and oil producing states (the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) will stabilize the market," he said. he declares.
Iran faces new US sanctions after announcing Sunday that it will soon increase its uranium enrichment beyond the ceiling set by a 2015 nuclear deal.
As part of the nuclear deal, most of the international sanctions against Tehran were lifted in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear activities. However, Trump pulled out of the deal and reinstated the sanctions.
Washington has tightened the sanctions from the beginning of May, ordering all countries and companies to stop importing Iranian oil or to be banned from the global financial system. He has also dispatched additional troops to the region to counter what he calls Iranian threats.
Iran's main demand – in negotiations with the European parties and as a precondition for any negotiations with the United States – must be allowed to sell its oil at a level comparable to that before the withdrawal of Washington . (Written by Parisa Hafezi edited by Alexandra Hudson)
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