DUBAI, July 2 (Reuters) – Iran is selling crude oil to 17 countries, Oil Minister Javad Owji was quoted as saying by the semi-official Mehr News Agency on Tuesday, indicating some states may not be honouring U.S. sanctions.
“We sell our oil wherever we want to. In fact, we export to 17 countries, including (countries in) Europe,” Owji said in a video shared by Mehr News Agency when asked about foreign reports about European countries importing Iranian crude oil.
Owji said he could not provide additional detail regarding the amounts sold or the identity of buyers due to the sensitivity of the subject.
Washington re-imposed sanctions on Tehran in 2018, after exiting a 2015 nuclear pact that allowed Iran to sell its oil in exchange for constraints on its nuclear programme.
Subsequently, Iran’s list of crude buyers fell sharply, with most of its exports then directed to China and smaller amounts to regional ally Syria.
(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; editing by Jason Neely)
