Sanctions leave Iran with few options for selling oil

(CBS News) For years, the U.S. and Europe have been trying everything short of going to war to get Iran to drop its nuclear program. That includes unprecedented sanctions. CBS News correspondent Anthony Mason looks into how those sanctions are working.

The oil trade funds about half of the Iranian government's budget. But under sanctions, Iran's oil business has suddenly sprung a leak. The International Energy Agency predicts that by this summer, Iran's exports could be down by as much as 30 percent.

"It's certainly rattling the economy," said Mark Dubowitz, a sanctions expert with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, "and, I think, shaking a regime that for the first time since the Iran-Iraq war is seeing it's oil wealth fundamentally threatened."

Last month, said Dubowitz, when Iran's banks were cut off from SWIFT, the system that processes global payments, Iran had to resort to barter deals.

China, India and South Korea have set up bank accounts in their countries to pay Iran for oil. But Iran must spend that money there on goods and services it often doesn't need. It's unable to transfer the cash home.

"These Asian countries have the Iranians both literally and figuratively over a barrel," said Dubowitz. "They're able to buy Iranian oil at a significant discount and they're paying in their local currency."

Iran's oil minister this week claimed the discovery of a new oil field, but exports are falling.

"We have also heard from our shipping sources that they may be actually storing crude oil offshore because they can't sell it," said Kate Dourian, who monitors Iran's economy from Dubai for Platt's, the energy news service.

She added: "One of the main problems with this whole shipping issue is insurance cover."

European sanctions prohibit the insurance of Iranian oil.

"People buying Iranian oil, if they are willing to buy it, can't find tankers that are willing to carry it," said Dourian.

That has forced Iran back to bargaining table. Iran has agreed to appear at the U.N.'s nuclear talks in Baghdad next month.

[monkeywart]

I'm very conservative and i think Obama is overall doing a good job with dealing with iran. One thing i think he should have done better is not reset nogotiations when he came into office. This was done based on the foolish assumption that somehow Iran didn't want to deal with bush. The Iranians sold this pitch to buy more time and Obama thinking himself more charismatic then bush bought into it. Brillaintly move on the iranian part.

[hypnotoad72]

Supporting the enemy (Iran), are we?

[VictorAshesLoveChild]

Lessee, got to check--any right-wing fruitcakes on here telling us why this is a bad thing, Obama's an idiot, nuke, baby, nuke?

Hard to tell this morning.

[rdm3850]

With respect to the black market in oil, you are right, and common sense will teach us, that when there is prohibition on any item, alcohol, drugs, oil ...etc. they go up in price not down.

[FormerUSMCSergeant]

I really question the mentality of those who oppose squeezing Iran economically to force policy changes.

The "War as a first resort" perspective strikes me as one which points to a fundamental reasoning disorder.

[fitstshu]

He's just hoping it doesn't work, another fine american

[Threewarriors]

Here we have the media once again telling how great the sanctions are working. Blah blah blah , hardeee harrrrr harrrrrrr.

[daffy64]

And telling us there's no "weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq. Harrdee harr harrrr.

[Mongol-General-Ogedei]

Total fabrications and pack of lies...

Iran is doing just fine...

And nuclear issue is none negotiable...

[venusvegasvada]

Here Iran...roll over Iran...jump for the treat Iran...bark Iran....