Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri called on China and other countries friendly with Iran on Monday to buy more Iranian oil, the oil ministry news website SHANA reported, as Chinese imports plunged after US sanctions took effect.
“Even though we are aware that friendly countries such as China are facing some restrictions, we expect them to be more active in buying Iranian oil,” SHANA quoted Jahangiri as telling visiting senior Chinese diplomat Song Tao.
China’s crude oil imports from Iran sank almost 60% in June from a year earlier, Chinese customs data showed on Saturday, following the end of a waiver on U.S. sanctions at the start of May.
Gas exports to China through Iran-Pakistan Pipeline
Jahangiri, who was meeting Director of the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in Tehran, said the Iranian government is ready to exports gas to China through Pakistan.
"Gas is the most important energy of the world in the future and Iran possesses the world’s largest gas fields. And we are ready to export gas to China through Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline," added Jahangiri.
Following the contract signed between Iran and Pakistan in 1999 to complete a gas pipeline to help address Pakistan’s electricity problems, Tehran has fulfilled its commitments regarding construction of the pipeline inside Iranian territory.
But Islamabad has failed to implement execute its share, and negotiations are underway to convince Pakistan to get the job done, managing director of the National Iranian Gas Export Company said a couple of days ago.
“US economic sanctions on Iran have overshadowed the project. Pakistan says that due to the restrictions, it cannot finance the construction of the pipeline on its territory. We insist that the sanctions are not a big obstacle and they can do it,” ILNA quoted Mehran Amir-Moeini as saying.