Iran outlines conditions for EU oil exports

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gestures as he deliver his speech at a rally to mark the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution that toppled the country's pro-Western monarchy and brought Islamic clerics to power, Tehran, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012. / AP Photo/Vahid Salemi

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran has laid out conditions for future oil exports to other European countries after halting sales to Britain and France earlier this week, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday.

The remarks by the spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, came a day after oil prices jumped to a nine-month high above $105 a barrel following Iran's announced halts in crude shipments in an escalation of the dispute over the country's nuclear program.

Tehran also said Monday it was considering extending the oil embargo to other European Union countries. The halt in crude to British and French companies was an apparent pre-emptive blow against the EU after the bloc imposed sanctions on Iran's fuel exports, including a freeze of the country's central bank assets and an oil embargo set to begin in July.

Many Western countries fear Iran's nuclear program masks ambitions to build atomic weapons, and have carried out a string of sanctions aimed to press Iran to cooperate. Iran denies the charges, saying its program is for civilian-sector uses, such as generating electricity.

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Mehmanparast told reporters Tuesday that Tehran seeks guarantees of payments, long term contracts and a ban on unilateral cancellation of contracts by buyers. He said all these should be considered if Europe wants continued trade and oil relations.

The terms were conveyed in a meeting with ambassadors of six European countries in Tehran, Mehmanparast said. He did not say when the meting took place.

"Iran's conditions include guarantee of payment of the price on our oil, relatively long-term and midterm contracts from three to five years," he said, adding also that there could be no "unilateral cancellation of the contracts by oil buyers."

He claimed these conditions would facilitate cooperation and would be fair to both Iran and the Europeans.

Iran's Oil Minister Rostam Qassemi took a similar stance, telling the official IRNA news agency Tuesday that "other European countries should decide as soon as possible about long term contracts for buying oil from Iran."

The 27-nation EU accounts for about 18 percent of Iran's oil exports. With a daily production of nearly four million barrels of oil, Iran earns up to 80 percent of its foreign revenue from crude export.

Mehmanparast said the cutoffs to Britain and France were due to the "hostile attitude" toward Iran.

"As we consider ourselves committed to provide Europe with energy, they have to consider themselves committed to paying the price and fulfilling the contracts," said Mehmanparast. "We support a continuation of relations with European countries."

On Tuesday, oil prices remained above $104 but retreated from recent highs after European leaders agreed to lend Greece euro130 billion ($172 billion) to avoid a debt default.

[lami987]

Don't be trapped by another Weapon Of Mass Destruction joke. They don't exist. Israel possibly owns more WMD than Iran does. If Israel attack Iran US must stay out of their conflict. Let Israel or Iran kill or be killed. May be the world would be more peaceful then.

[tsigili]

Tell Iran to take it, and shove it!

[venusvegasvada]

How about you stop building centrifuges that can make bomb grade material? You have enough oil to last for hundreds of years.

[tiredofliberals]

They can keep their oil Lets build the pipeline Come on OBAMA put some people to work The 8.5% unemployment rate is a bunch of crap and the government knows it

[NeoCon_ChickenHawk]

Sooooo true, tiredofliberals. Will Nobama ever do anything to benefit the American people? Get the damn project moving!

[erpicferl]

remember neda? the poor girl who got shot in the chest and died for wanting freedom. lets never forget her.

[slatep]

Apparently Iran has not leaned that the US (and possibly other countries) have not heard that the US does not bargain with terrorists.

Let Iran keep their oil.

They don't have brains enough to figure out that no oil means no money coming into the country.

You don't have to be a brain surgeon to realize that Iran is cutting off their noses to spite their faces.!!

[Well_You_Aint_Me]

Two really dumb comments together.

First of all, if Iran wants to sell that extra 18% they are losing by not selling to the EU then I am sure China, Russia, and others would love to have excess.

Second just a typical legend of iran anti mudslime rant about Israel and the CIA.

[sjc_1]

Russia has plenty of oil and will sell to China any day. Iran's timing is bad, the world is in a slow down and there is plenty of oil on the market, the only people being hurt are the Iranians.

[mjlewis6]

The price of peace has always been high: The Sudetenland for Hitler to protect Germans living in Checkoslovakia, and he took over the country...and WWII began with the subsequent invasion of Poland.

Cuba and the Phillipines for the Spanish American War...(due to the sinking of the Maine in Havana Harbor, boilers blew out)

The American Civil War for the Southern bombardment of Ft. Sumpter, a federal reservation that should have been vacated for the state of South Carolina, seceeding, which was inside the 3 mile limit of the state boundaries then recognized in international law.

Gulf of Tonkin incident, 1964, totally fictional event for the congressional approval of the Viet Nam Conflict in which over 55 thousand American lives were lost.