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Page added on January 14, 2014
US has concerns about Iran-Russia oil-for-goods swap
The White House said on Monday it was concerned about a recent report that Iran and Russia are negotiating an oil-for-goods swap worth $1.5 billion a month, a deal a spokeswoman said could trigger U.S. sanctions.
Such a deal would significantly boost Iran’s oil exports, which have been slashed by more than half to about 1 million barrels a day by U.S. and European economic sanctions aimed at forcing Iran to accept curbs to its nuclear program.
Russian and Iranian sources close to the barter negotiations said the deal could see Russia buy as much as 500,000 barrels a day of Iranian oil in exchange for Russian equipment and goods.
“We are concerned about these reports and Secretary (of State John) Kerry directly expressed this concern with (Russian) Foreign Minister (Sergei) Lavrov today,” Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council, told Reuters.
Iran agreed on Sunday to limit its enrichment of uranium and allow more international monitoring for six months in exchange for about $7 billion in sanctions relief.
The agreement with the P5+1 group of major world powers includes a pause on efforts to further reduce Iran’s exports of crude oil – although it does not allow major buyers to increase their imports.
Russia is part of the P5+1 group, but has not been part of the sanctions efforts, led by the United States and Europe.
“If the reports are true, such a deal would raise serious concerns as it would be inconsistent with the terms of the P5+1 agreement with Iran and could potentially trigger U.S. sanctions,” Hayden said.
Iran and the P5+1 group will likely begin talks on a long-term nuclear deal in February – talks that both Iran and the United States have said will be difficult.
9 Comments on "US has concerns about Iran-Russia oil-for-goods swap"
J-Gav on Tue, 14th Jan 2014 3:06 pm
Looks like the U.S. is determined to keep its boot on Iran’s neck despite all the talk of détente.
rockman on Tue, 14th Jan 2014 3:27 pm
Not a very heavy boot though: just heard on NPR this morning that the deal the US agreed to doesn’t allow nuclear inspectors into Iran. Essentially we’ll just take their word they aren’t building a bomb.
J-Gav on Tue, 14th Jan 2014 5:45 pm
Nuclear inspectors visited the Arak plant south of Teheran in December for the first time in a few years … I don’t pretend to know what other inspection details are still under negotiation.
Harquebus on Tue, 14th Jan 2014 11:52 pm
Russia is the world’s biggest crude oil producer and still needs to import?
Makati1 on Wed, 15th Jan 2014 1:13 am
Oil for weapons is always a good trade. And, I doubt Russia gives a damn about any US ‘sanctions’.
DC on Wed, 15th Jan 2014 2:51 am
Once again the Lame-stream media doesnt report on the real reason for the US’s ‘concern’. Barter-type deals essentially bypass the entire neo-liberal US dollar dominated trade system built by NY and London. Trade in oil for goods, be it food, manufactured items, whatever, especially enrages Wall St. The US has invaded countries for doing far less. Thankfully, this is RUSSIA and not Venezuela, so all they can do atm, is huff and puff.
Still, the root problem remains. The US fascist bully-state is trying to dictate and control world trade. Even trade where it has no business getting involved in. The world needs to move away from the dollar ASAP and precipitate the collapse of the United snakes if there is ever to be any peace or freedom in this world.
So RM ya sound like you still buying the line that Iran is working on a ‘nuke’ do you? Watching a little too much CNN and Faux? Hey I dont think they should be working on ‘nukes’ either(civilian), I think they should be carpeting the desert with solar and wind myself, but thats not my call.
Far as I am concerned, Swap-barter deals, even between nations are an ideal way to bypass London and NY and the US dollar. And there is nothing they can do about, unless they want to go to war over it. Which apparently, they do…..
GregT on Wed, 15th Jan 2014 5:21 am
It amazes me how we still talk as if countries were individuals. I’m sure that there are just as many good and bad people in every country in the world. Too bad we couldn’t name the perpetrators of the global chess game by name, instead of lumping entire countries and their peoples into this insanity. If the truth were to be known, maybe we could all stop going to war and killing each other, and let the oligarchs fight it out amongst themselves.
Better yet, maybe we could ship them all off to Antarctica, along with all of their banker buddies, and some suitcase nukes.
Arthur on Wed, 15th Jan 2014 9:02 am
http://www.lewrockwell.com/2014/01/patrick-j-buchanan/a-blank-check-against-iran/
Yet in both 2007 and 2011, U.S. intelligence declared “with high confidence” that Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program.
Arthur on Wed, 15th Jan 2014 9:04 am
Russia is the world’s biggest crude oil producer and still needs to import?
Apart from being a producer, Russia also has transformed itself into an oil trader, owning a vast pipeline network to potent clients in Europe en China.