DUBAI, Sept 2 (Reuters) – Iran’s oil exports are at their
normal levels and are unaffected by Western embargoes, an
Iranian oil official was quoted as saying on Sunday.
“We don’t see anything abnormal, almost everything is
progressing routinely,” Mohammad Ali Khatibi Tabatabaei,
director for international affairs at the National Iranian Oil
Company (NIOC), told the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA).
He did not give any figures on Iran’s current oil export
levels.
Iran’s top oil customers have slashed Iranian purchases
under pressure from European Union and U.S. sanctions that aim
to squeeze Tehran’s oil income and curb its nuclear programme.
Japan’s imports of Iranian crude fell to zero in July for
the first time since 1981, trade ministry data showed last week.
To compensate, Japan increased imports from the United Arab
Emirates and Iraq, among other suppliers.
South Africa imported no crude oil from Iran in July,
customs data showed last week. The country used to import a
quarter of its crude from Iran.
The EU’s embargo also included a ban on insurance of Iranian
cargoes. Tehran has offered to provide up to $1 billion of
insurance cover to Iranian vessels shipping oil.
“This step has been taken in the last few months and
everyone saw that the insurance companies could provide $1
billion in coverage,” Tabatabaei was quoted as saying.
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