Baku, Azerbaijan, April 10
By Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
One of the main problems of Iranian businessmen is being unable to benefit from the international banking system, and measures should be taken for Iran to join Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Majidreza Hariri, Deputy Chairman of the Iran-China Chamber of Commerce, told Ibena, Trend reports.
Besides the US sanctions, the other major problem Iranian businessmen have to face is projects dealing with FATF still not being ratified in Iran, which effectively keeps them banned from the international banking system, according to Hariri.
Hariri expressed hope that necessary measures will be taken in the country and Iran will join the FATF.
"Foreign banks will thus not have excuses for not cooperating with Iranian businessmen," he said.
Touching on China's purchase of oil from Iran and the US extending the period for China’s exemption from sanctions on purchases of Iranian oil, Hariri said that he does not think that the exemption period will not be prolonged for the 4 temporarily exempted Asian countries – China, India, South Korea and Japan.
"Of course, it is possible that the US may lift the exemption from sanctions for European countries," he said.
Stating that an alternative to Iranian oil is practically non-existent for oil refineries of the above-mentioned Asian countries, Hariri did not rule out the possibility of the reduction of oil imports by Asian countries from Iran with possible future US sanctions.
Hariri noted that the volume of trade turnover between Iran and China has had a slight increase in 2018, and expressed hope that this process will continue in 2019.
The US imposed sanctions on Iran in November 2018, setting a 6-month exemption period for 8 countries importing oil from Iran.