Iranian diplomat says more countries willing to buy Iranian oil

TEHRAN, Feb. 18 (MNA) – The Iranian ambassador to Italy said that the number of customers for Iran’s oil has increased. Ambassador Mohammad Ali Hosseini made the remarks in an interview with the Rome-based news channel Sky TG24 in reply to a question about the oil embargo that the EU imposed on Iran on January 23. Only 18 percent of Iran’s oil exports are destined for Europe and contrary to European countries’ expectations, the number of customers for Iran’s oil has increased since the embargo was adopted, Hosseini stated. The Islamic Republic has already made it clear that the EU’s decision to impose sanctions on Iran’s oil exports is illegal and illogical and that the Europeans themselves will take the brunt of such sanctions, he added. The Iranian ambassador went on to say that the Iranian administration and Majlis are under pressure from public opinion to take an appropriate measure in response to the oil embargo. Therefore, the parliament is considering a retaliatory measure, he added. The Iranian parliament has prepared a plan calling for a halt to Iran’s oil exports to the European Union states that voted for sanctions on the country’s oil industry, which will reportedly be discussed in the parliament after Iran’s next parliamentary election, which is scheduled to be held on March 2.