National Iranian Oil Company has signed a short-term contract with Eni to sell crude, an Iranian official said yesterday, as it seeks to revive the agreement it had with the Italian oil major prior to sanctions on Tehran.
“The National Iranian Oil Company has sold one cargo of crude oil to this Italian company,” Mohsen Ghamsari, director for international affairs at the NIOC was quoted as saying by Mehr news agency, adding that the negotiations were underway to sign a long term deal.
“If the deal is signed we are ready to sell 100,000 barrels of crude oil to Eni,” Ghamsari said. He added a contract has also been signed with Italy’s Saras to sell crude oil.
If the deal is signed we are ready to sell 100,000 barrels of crude oil to Eni
Eni was one of the main buyers of Iranian oil prior to the sanctions, which were lifted in January.
In the meantime, Iran has finalised an agreement with Airbus to acquire 100 jetliners, the first of which is tentatively expected to be delivered in mid-January, a senior official said yesterday.
Iran, which last week finalised a parallel deal with Boeing for 80 jets, has reached agreements with foreign leasing firms to finance a total of 77 aircrafts, including 42 from Airbus and 35 from Boeing, Deputy Roads and Urban Development Minister Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan told Reuters. Iran is buying planes to rebuild the elderly fleet of flag carrier IranAir under an agreement with major powers that lifted most international sanctions in return for restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities.
The timing of the first delivery suggests the Airbus A321 could arrive before the January 20 inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has voiced opposition to the nuclear deal, and well ahead of Iranian presidential elections in May.
The US Treasury has granted export licences to allow both deals to go ahead, a step required for both suppliers because of the heavy use of American parts in Boeing and Airbus jets. Asked whether the deal could be derailed if Washington withdraws the certificates or imposes fresh restrictions on trade with Iran, Kashan said: “We are not concerned, although we should not ignore such a possibility.
“The fact is that Mr Trump may impose certain new sanctions but we would consider that to be a violation of the JCPOA [nuclear accord], which explicitly provides for the possibility for the purchase of aircrafts and their sale by manufacturers.”