Spokesman:

No Country Allowed to Replace Iran in Oil Market

TEHRAN (defapress)- Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi on Thursday deplored the Saudi and Bahraini governments for supporting the US sanctions against Tehran, stressing that the country will not allow other states to take its place in the oil market.

News ID: 77037

Date: 25 April 2019 - 19:01

Mousavi condemned Saudi Arabia and Bahrain for "blind obedience to the US government", warning against the negative consequences of the hostile move to choke off Iran’s oil exports.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not allow any country to take its place in the oil market,” he said.

Mousavi added that Iran will hold the US and those countries accountable for the negative consequences of attempts to chock Iranian oil exports.

He referred to the recent execution of 37 Saudi nationals by Riyadh, calling on the international community to confront the Saudi government on its deranged measures.

Mousavi further warned the regional countries against the Saudi attempts to sow discord in the region with the support of the US administration.

The White House said on Monday waivers for China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey would expire in May, after which they could face US sanctions themselves if they buy the Iranian oil.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday downplayed the effects of Washington's decision to end sanctions waivers on Iran's oil sales, and dismissed talks with the US administration which uses the language of threat and force to demand negotiations.

"We have always been people who favor talks and diplomacy as we are people of war and defense. Negotiations will be possible when all pressures are taken off, they (the US) apologize for their illegal measures and when there is mutual respect. Undoubtedly, demands by a knife-stabbing person who lies and is using force to hold talks is not accepted and we do not negotiate with a knife-stabbing person and with the formula of knife-stabbing, as accepting such negotiations means humiliation and surrender," President Rouhani said, addressing a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday.

He said that the US was no way ready for negotiations, reminding that Washington's 4-decade-long plots against the Iranian nation had all ended in fiasco and failure for the White House.

"And they will fail in their plots again," Rouhani underscored.

He played down the US threats to zero Iran's oil exports, saying, "This is not possible and we will sell our oil in different ways, while this move by the US is an oppression against all the world nations, international oil firms and even its own nation."

President Rouhani said Iran was pleased with all its neighbors, except Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and sent them a tacit warning. "They should note their acts and behavior. Saudi Arabia and the UAE should know that they have survived because of the wise decision made by the Islamic Republic of Iran's government."

He explained that when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein occupied Kuwait in 1990s he sent a message to demand Iran's cooperation with Baghdad in occupation of other Persian Gulf Arab states, but his offer was turned down by Iran.

"It was the Islamic Republic of Iran which saved Saudi Arabia; had we made another decision in that period of time, there would have been no sign of Saudi Arabia and the UAE," Rouhani said.

He blasted Riyadh and Doha for their collaboration with the US in pressuring Iran through compensating for Iran's production share to be lost under the new US decision.

"You know that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the main regional power and if it changes its decision, it will bring it into action; therefore, you must choose a path beneficial to the regional and world nations and the market," President Rouhani said.

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