China will keep importing oil from Iran: Ex-official
The former Iranian ambassador to China has said that China is not willing to lose Iran as an energy supplier although it decreased oil imports from Iran in the last 10 years.
Mohammad Malaek said in an exclusive interview with ILNA that if Iran doesn’t offer a discount on its oil sales, its share in the oil markets will be affected.
Commenting on the reports that China replaced oil imported from Iran with Russian oil, the former diplomat said that currently, we can’t have a word on the confirmation or rejection of this issue.
“In fact when the Russians offer discounts on their oil sales, every company is encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity,” he added.
Commenting on the possibility of removal of sanctions on Iran and the increase of Tehran’s oil exports to China, he stressed, “The sanctions will not be lifted for the time being and will not take effect until at least November.”
We need to look for a part of the European market to stabilize the oil market, and it does not necessarily depend on the lifting of sanctions, he said.
“Because the U.S. has accepted that without officially lifting of the sanctions, Russia’s policies to put pressure on Europe’s energy must be naturalized,” he noted.
Now Iraq and Saudi Arabia plan to increase their oil production until 2027, which is a dangerous competition, he said, adding that all these countries can take Iran’s place in the oil markets.