Iran threatens to block all Gulf oil if its own oil is blocked

Iran supreme leader threatens to block all Gulf oil exports if its own are stopped

RT,

21 July, 2018

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that no country in the region will export oil if Iran’s exports are stopped. The same threat was earlier voiced by President Hassan Rouhani.

Speaking to Iranian ambassadors and senior diplomats on Saturday, Khamenei backed Rouhani’s earlier warning to close the Strait of Hormuz, thus blocking all oil shipments from the Persian Gulf. 

“[These] were important remarks that reflect Islamic Republic’s approach,” the Ayatollah said, according to his official website. He added that Iran’s Foreign Ministry must closely follow the approach. 

The statement comes in response to anti-Iran rhetoric by the US, which is currently pressing allies to cut off Iranian crude exports. During a recent tour, a senior State Department official warned that those failing to reduce Iranian oil imports to “zero” by early November would face US sanctions.

Tehran and Washington have been exchanging threats since the latter sought to rip apart the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. However, while the US pulled out of the agreement, other countries did not follow suit and condemned the move, vowing to keep the agreement without support from Washington.

While Tehran still wants to go further in negotiations with Europe, Khamenei said that sitting down with Washington would be useless. “The word and even the signature of the Americans cannot be relied upon, so negotiations with America are of no avail,” he told Foreign Ministry officials.

Earlier, the Trump administration requested a meeting with Rouhani eight times, but the Iranian side refused to participate. 

If Iran's oil export is blocked, no other country in region will export oil either: Imam Khamenei

The Foreign Minister, staff and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as Iranian ambassadors and senior diplomats serving abroad met with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution—Ayatollah Khamenei—this morning [Saturday] July 21, 2018.

At this meeting, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution described the assumption that the country's problems can be solved by negotiations or relationship with the U.S. ‘an evident mistake’ and added: "The U.S. has fundamental issues with the essence of the Islamic establishment. Moreover, many countries in Africa, Asia or Latin America have relations with the U.S., and yet they are facing plenty of problems.”

Referring to the deeply-rooted hostility the U.S. practices against the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated: "The American officials seek the position and status they once enjoyed in Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and they will not be content with less than that."

He regarded the United States’ opposition to the nuclear capability, high enrichment power, and the presence of Iran in the region, as a result of their deep animosity against the Islamic Republic's elements of sovereignty, adding: "The presence of Iran in the region reassures power and security of Iran, and is part of the strategic backdrop of the country; that is why the enemies oppose it.”

The leader of the Islamic Revolution referred to the repeated mention of unreliability of the US by Iranian officials and stated: "I have always been insisting that we cannot trust the words or even signatures of the U.S. authorities. Hence, negotiating with the US is useless."

The leader of the Islamic Revolution regarded activation of unexploited or not properly-exploited capacities in the country as important and added: "Negotiations with Europe can go on; but we must not linger, waiting for the European pack. Meanwhile multiple necessary tasks within the country must be carried out.”

The leader of the Islamic Revolution called development of multilateral and particularly bilateral relations, urging Iranian diplomats to expand ties with regional coalitions and stated: "Iranian ambassadors and representatives in other countries must completely master the potentials and capabilities of the nation and the country.”

He referred to relations with scientists, non-state political figures and economic activists of other countries as popular methods of diplomacy in the world and went on to say: "through these methods, the range of the activities of the foreign policies department can be expanded."

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution further called field power a backing for practicing diplomacy and asserted: “it is important to turn every element of power into some political and economic achievement."

According to the leader of the Islamic Revolution, the necessary conditions for the representatives of diplomacy include ‘having a strong and enduring spirit, hope for the future, and benefiting from a quest for justice.’ Ayatollah Khamenei held: The main and critical goal of diplomacy is to safeguard national interests. Interaction and opposition are only two of the many means to safeguard national interests.” His Eminence added: The national interests are derived from principle policies and values of the establishment and the diplomacy department have the duty to provide and safeguard national interests.

The Leader of the revolution hailed President Hassan Rouhani’s recent remarks in his visit to Europe and said: “The remarks made by the President in his recent trip to Europe stating that, ‘if Iran’s oil export is blocked, no other country is region can export oil either,’ are important remarks that represent the approach and policies of the establishment. The duty of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to strictly pursue stances taken by the President.”

The Supreme Leader slammed any bid to portray ideologies as contrary to national interests, adding: Some—erroneously—talk about the necessity of separating diplomacy from ideology; whereas, there is nothing wrong with ideological diplomacy. Inculcating [in public opinion] that there exists a contradiction between ideology and national interests is wrong and illogical,” said Ayatollah Khamenei, citing examples of practice of politics based on ideology elsewhere in the world: “U.S. officials repeatedly mention "American Values" in their speeches—which represents their ideology, derived from the U.S. Declaration of Independence. In European countries, too, ideological views rule over their political behavior and activities.”

Finally Ayatollah Khamenei described the main goal of the Islamic Republic as protecting national interest of Iran and asserted: “The goal of establishing the Islamic Republic is to safeguard national interests, independence, freedom, social justice as well as national power and security. [IRI] Ideology seeks to provide and protect national interests and is thus considered a nation's identity.”

‘It Holds No Benefit': Ayatollah Says Negotiating With US is a ‘Blatant Mistake'

Sputnik,

21 July, 2018

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei revealed on Saturday that holding talks with the US to mend their issues is a "blatant mistake" because Washington fails to stick to its agreements.

Khamenei's statements came during a yearly meeting with Iranian diplomats.

"Our problems with America are not soluble [and] this should be taken note of, " the Tehran Times quoted Khamenei. "The problem of America with the Islamic Republic is an issue of coming back."

"The Americans want to recreate the status they had before the revolution, before the Islamic Republic. They want that. Well, that is impossible. It is not doable. And they are not happy with anything short of that," the 79-year-old stressed.

And because reverting back to the times before the 1979 revolution "is not doable," Khamenei stated that "there is no use in negotiations with America [as] it holds no benefit."

"The Americans cannot be trusted… they are really not trustworthy. One cannot even count on their signature, let along their word and their verbal promise," he continued.

Khamenei's statements follow US President Donald Trump's May decision to withdraw the US from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a deal made during the Obama administration that lifted several sanctions in exchange for Iran lowering its nuclear ambitions. The agreement, which included signatures from representatives of China, France, Germany, EU, Russia and UK and the US, ultimately granted inspectors access to Iran's nuclear facilities to verify that Tehran was keeping its end of the bargain.

Although Khamenei did indicate that talks with other partners should not be brought to a close, he did warn against waiting for a new agreement to be drawn up.

"We should not remain idle waiting for the European package [on the preservation of the nuclear deal]," the official said. "Instead, we should follow up on necessary activities inside the country [against US sanctions.]"

With Trump pulling out of the JCPOA, past sanctions that had been lifted against the country will be reinstated. According to the US Treasury Department, the three rounds of sanctions will go into effect on August 6, November 4 and November 5.

Remarks made this weekend by Khamenei follow Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's public announcement that suggested the US sanctions would ultimately leave the US more isolated, not Iran.

The following report is fully UNCONFIRMED

CHINA CEASES OIL PURCHASES FROM IRAN - Cites ". . . the war . . ."they will not be party to!!!

Very big news out of Beijing late Saturday night, east coast US time.  Beijing will HALT its oil purchases from Iran, because it "does not want to be one of the sides in THE WAR;" choosing instead to buy its oil from Saudi Arabia.

This is an absolutely stunning international development which will have GIGANTIC ramifications almost immediately.

Covert Intel tells me a statement from China will be issued to the press  which reads as follows:

"China is not like the United States and Russia; it has no aggressive foreign policy; it does not want to be one of the sides of the war; it avoids the policies of the axes in our region. However, it is a large state with huge interests in the region; one of the interests of China in the Middle East is oil.

The Middle East region is the vital artery of China, and its subjection to regional or international governments and the chaos of terrorist organizations is a source of concern for Beijing. China has an important role to play, although it does not have a specific position, and it strives as an economic power to protect its interests without resorting to military power. Its policies are pragmatic, and during the US-Iran controversy, Beijing did not help Washington, it did not withdraw from the nuclear deal and did not accept Iran's sanctions. But at the same time, China has decided to abandon Iran as a major source of its petrochemical purchases and move toward Saudi Arabia. This could be a painful blow to Tehran.

The strategic proximity between Saudi Arabia and China is not accidental and is the result of the actions of Saudi politicians in relation to China. Last year, Malik Salman's trip to Beijing was an important step during which extensive cooperation agreements between Beijing and Riyadh were concluded.

In addition, the visit of the Chinese president to the Emirates was an exceptional journey. This is while China has good relations with Kuwait. Economics is the power of the Gulf states and the way to the intellect and heart of China; a partnership without other obligations. China is currently moving towards Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf states and has abandoned Iran's oil. In the past, Iran was the first supplier of Chinese oil. The same thing has provoked the rage of Tehran and has led the authorities to engage in reading readings with a different logic.

In this context, it can be said that China has become an important partner for Saudi Arabia, irrespective of Iran's oil, and this can be aligned with its enormous economic plan."