Tehran, Iran, June 18
By Kamyar Eghbalnejad, A. Shirazi- Trend
Hamid Hosseini, the head of the board of directors at Iranian Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters’ Association, said the trade war between the US and China will open up new avenues for the export of Iran’s petrochemical products.
“The trade war between the US and China as well as China’s decision to impose a 25 percent tariff on up to $50 billion in Chinese goods will open up new markets for more exports of Iranian petrochemical products to China,” Hosseini told Trend on July 18.
He added that the export of Iran’s petrochemical products will continue even after new US sanctions and that the only problem would the transfer of money.
US President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in May, and Washington now plans to reimpose sanctions on Tehran next month. The first round of US sanctions on Iran goes into effect in August, followed by ones targeting Iran's oil exports in November.
“We are certain that state refineries in Asia and Europe will continue to import Iran’s crude,” Hosseini said.
Japanese and South Korean refineries may halt imports of Iran’s oil, but other refineries in Asia and Europe will continue oil imports from the Islamic Republic, he explained.
Elsewhere in the interview, he said offering export grade crude oil on the Iran Energy Exchange (IRENEX) is plausible, but we first need to recognize digital currency in our country.
It should also be made clear that whether or not the private sector would be allowed to enter Indian and Chinese markets or not, Hosseini concluded.