"This big claim (of cutting Iran oil supply) is not feasible because last month
Iran exported 2.8 million barrels of crude oil and condensate per day . The
figure stands at around 2.5 million barrels (per day), and removing this from
the global market in a few month-period is not possible,” the informed official
at Iran oil ministry told the Tasnim News Agency in response to a senior US
State Department official who said the Trump administration ramps up pressure on
allies to cut off funding to Iran.
Reuters had earlier reported that the United States has told countries to cut
all imports of Iranian oil from November.
"Yes, we are asking them to go to zero,” the US official said when asked if the
United States was pushing allies, including China and India, to cut oil imports
to zero by November.
In reply, the Iranian oil ministry official said some European companies such as
Shell and Total have stopped buying Iranian oil over the past few weeks but Iran
is still exporting oil to Europe, Asia, and elsewhere in the world.
Asked about Iran's reaction in case of the implementation of the US plan, the
official said, "Iran is prepared for the worst-case scenarios".
"The most pessimistic scenarios have been predicted in Iran's oil sale plans,
and each scenario has an operational alternative because Iran provides its
foreign currencies through exporting oil ..."
The Iranian oil ministry official also reacting to a possible operationalization
of a US decision to fill gap in oil market, and said, "Unlike what US officials
think, there is no surplus capacity for Saudi Arabia, the UAE and etc. to supply
oil for a long term."
According to earlier report by Reuters, the US official had said that a
delegation was headed to the Middle East next week to urge Persian Gulf
producers to ensure global oil supplies as Iran is cut out of the market
starting on Nov. 4 when US sanctions are re-imposed.
Source: Tasnim