Tehran is not intending to compete with Moscow on the oil market in the event of reaching a new nuclear deal within the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Western countries, Iranian nuclear negotiator Mohammad Marandi told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th May, 2022) Tehran is not intending to compete with Moscow on the oil market in the event of reaching a new nuclear deal within the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Western countries, Iranian nuclear negotiator Mohammad Marandi told Sputnik.
"Iran cannot compete with Russia on the world oil and gas markets at all. Iran has long had its own permanent buyers of oil, and now Iran is exporting its oil at full capacity, meaning that Iran is currently producing oil at full capacity and selling the maximum amount of it. The production capacity and sales volume may slightly increase in the event of signing the JCPOA after all. However, Tehran will never intend to be Moscow's competitor on the oil market," Marandi said.
The Russian military operation in Ukraine and the emerging energy crisis as the consequence make Europe force an agreement with Iran on the JCPOA, Marandi said.
"One of the reasons for the so-called headlong pursuit by the Europeans of a deal with Iran is the hostilities in Ukraine and the world market's need for Iranian oil and gas, the constant need for Iranian energy sources," he explained.
The negotiator also said that European countries must have "a more rational, more sensible relationship with Russia" to overcome the economic crisis.
Negotiations are underway in Vienna to renew the JCPOA and lift Washington's sanctions against Tehran imposed after the United States withdrew from the deal in 2018. The eighth round started on December 27, 2021.
