LATEST: Turkey Will Not Cut — and Could Buy More — Iranian Oil and Gas

SUMMARY: A series of Friday Prayers leaders and MPs backed the Rouhani Government’s nuclear talks with the West, following the advance in discussions in Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The statement by the spokesman of Parliament’s National Security Council, Hossein Naghavi Hosseini, was typical:

The set of proposals that Iran presented were the focus of both sides’ discussions, which shows that the Iranian negotiations team was successful in putting the P5+1 [5+1 Powers] on the track of Iran’s proposals.

[The 5+1 Powers] looked at this and were optimistic. They announced that Iran’s set of proposals is worthy of discussion, negotiation and following, which is considered a step forward.

Others emphasized that the achievement, with Iran and the 5+1 Powers agreeing to technical discussions and another high-level negotiation on November 7-8, demonstrated the Islamic Republic’s strength.

MP Mohammad Reza Mohseni Sani said:

In years past the P5+1 thought that they could get concessions from Iran, but they did not achieve these results. Therefore, they felt that they had lost their chance and had to bring forward a new approach during this opportunity.

The Friday Prayer Leader in Qom, Ayatollah Bushehri, invoked the Supreme Leader’s declaration of “heroic flexibility” on the eve of the talks: “The heroic aspects were preserved during the negotiations because no Iranian bowed to the enemies.”

(Hat tip to Iran Tracker for translations)


Turkey Will Not Cut — and Could Buy More — Iranian Oil and Gas

Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız has said Ankara is importing 10 billion cubic meters of gas a year from Iran and would buy more if it were available.

In a briefing during the World Energy Congress in South Korea, Yildiz also said Turkey maintain purchases of at least 100,000 barrels per day of Iranian oil in 2014, as further cuts would “threaten” the Turkish economy.

Yildiz said Turkey’s energy demand has doubled in the last 10 years and will double again in the next decade.

In June, the US Government renewed a six-month waiver from financial penalties for Turkey, because of reduced purchases of oil from Iran.