With the Iranian economy getting worse and worse and US officials crowing about the success of sanctions which have left Iran’s massive oil industry exporting only a fraction of its capacity, and only to nations of America’s choosing, Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi today suggested Iran may stop exporting entirely if the sanctions continue.
Qasemi says that he hopes the move isn’t necessary, because the spike in global oil prices would cause average citizens the world over to suffer, but added that Iran has a “plan B” to survive without any oil revenues.
Analysts are shrugging off the claim as bluster, insisting there is no possible plan B and that Iran wouldn’t dare to stop selling oil. So far global oil prices have not reacted to the comments at all, suggesting few traders are even hedging against the possibility.
But that analyst disavowal is so predictable, and the Western claims that Iran “wouldn’t dare” cut the oil sales so cliché, that it is hard to imagine Iran’s Oil Minister is bluffing with nothing to back it up. Whether Iran has a plan B or not remains to be seen, but the comments almost certainly reflect a serious discussion ongoing among Iranian leaders faced with ever more sanctions and ever more unreasonable demands from the West.
Iran does not need to sell even one drop of oil. Iran should do exactly what the British, Americans and NATO have been doing for a long time–export opium. The British Empire was built on global opium trade. Iran should simply make a deal with the local Afghani, Pakistani, Kurdish and Turkish drug-dealers and flood Europe with opium; basically, give the western savages a taste of their own medicine. Iran will make much more money this way, and also, will extend the life oil its more-precious-than-gold oil reserves and as an added bonus, Iran will save billions not fighting a loosing war with the local Afghani, Pakistani, Kurdish and Turkish drug-dealers, which has cost the precious lives of 5000 Iranian border guards; eventhough, it is the Europeans who have benefited from this enormous Iranian sacrifice.
Now there is a brilliant idea.
I wish someone in Iran reads this and takes it up as Plan B which the Iran Oil Minister said they had.
This is not an idle boast on the part of Iran,but a true reflection of the situation.In order to sustain production,Iran must produce a certain amount of oil and Iran has only limited amounts of storage capacity.If production falls below a specific amount,continued production will damage the fields.If they can't sell the oil and are out of storage capacity,they will have to shut the fields down.Like all of the Middle Eastern oil fields including Iraq,Iran's fields are very old and have been producing for 90 years or so.If the fields are shut down,it could take a long time to bring them back on line and they might never reach the production capacity that they had before they were shut down.
Finally, a partial solution to global warming. Too bad the innocent Iranians are the only ones forced to make the sacrifice.
You have to approve my post?I'll remember that on your next pledge drive.
The 'analysts' shrugging off the claim as bluster need to think more clearly. With a blockade seriously restricting imports from the western imperial economies, why would the Iranians need any more of their deteriorating currencies? Do the 'analysts' suppose the ayatollahs want to accumulate a few tens of billions of dollars or euros so that they can watch them evaporate in the vault? The problem is a natural reward to the warlike empire and its analysts for their restriction of trade.
Eversince this issue exploded it has become the talk of the town everywhere US trying to succumb the oil supply Iran had produced. Im not really knowledgeable about this but I think this means that gas flaring equipments will be widely used if the said owning is pursued. I think this will be very beneficial to everyone.