LATEST: Tehran Signs Agreement to Ship Natural Gas to Iraq

Amid manoeuvring for possible September talks with the 5+1 Powers of Iran’s nuclear program, high-level regime
officials are publicly debating the issue of discussions with the US.

The Supreme Leader led the way on Sunday in a speech to officials. Referring to an address in February, he declared, “I said earlier this year that I’m not optimistic about talks with the US, although I didn’t prohibit dialogue on specific issues such as Iraq in the past years.”

Ayatollah Khamenei continued, “Americans are untrustworthy and illogical. They are not honest in their dealings.”

Despite the negative comments, the Supreme Leader clearly left the door open to direct talks with Washington. He said:

We’ve always believed and continue to believe in interaction with the world but the important point is to understand the other party and determine its goals and tactics, because we will be tripped up if we don’t understand them correctly.

The /+*rt in interaction with the world is to continue your path without the other party being able to stop you.

The Supreme Leader’s remarks followed a weekend of remarks by MPs and Foreign Ministry officials on the nuclear talks and interaction with the US. Some politicians ruled out any direct contact, but the Foreign Ministry and other MPs cautiously held open the possibility.

Tehran Signs Agreement to Ship Natural Gas to Iraq

A ray of hope for Iran’s troubled energy sector?

Following a trip by President Ahmadinejad to Baghdad, the Islamic Republic signed an agreement to export 850 million cubic feet of natural gas to Iraq for three power plants, generating 2500 megawatts, in Baghdad and Diyala Provinces.

The deal was signed in a closed-door ceremony in Baghdad late Sunday between Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity Kareem Aftan and Iranian Minister of Oil Rustam Qassemi.

Iraq will buy the contracted gas according to international prices each day from Iran under the four-year deal, which could be extended.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Kurdistan reported that imports from Iran doubled in 2012, as businessmen took advantage of a 70% fall in the value of the Iranian Rial.

China’s Oil Imports Fall Slightly

China’s daily crude oil imports from Iran fell 1.9% in the first half of 2013 from the same period in 2012.

China, Iran’s largest oil client, brought in 424,183 barrels per day of Iranian crude in the first six months of 2013. The drop is on top of a 21% fall in China’s purchases from Tehran in the first half of last year.

The drop in the first-half volume is on top of a 21% cut in China’s purchases from Tehran in the first half of last year. Compared with the second half of 2012, Chinese imports in the first six months of this year were down 4.6%.

June volumes imported from Iran were also sharply down compared with the same month last year and from May imports.