Call for Int’l Action Against Oil, Gas Sanctions

President Ebrahim Raisi called on the international community to prevent and refuse to recognize any unilateral and coercive measure such as the United States’ cruel sanctions against the oil and gas industries of members to the Gas Exporting Countries Forum.
“Although … using the instrument of sanctions by a country to impose its domineering will and demands on other independent countries is ineffective today, it continues to jeopardize the economic interests of GECF states,” he said on Tuesday, in an address to the 6th GECF summit in Doha, Qatar, President.ir reported.
Iran’s oil sector, the lifeblood of its economy, has been subject to US unilateral sanctions since Washington’s exit from the 2015 nuclear deal four years ago. 
Indirect negotiations are underway to restore the agreement, but the US seems to be reluctant to remove its sanctions on the key sector, while Iran justly demands a complete lifting of American bans inconsistent with the deal.   
Raisi added in his speech that the global community should also support multilateral initiatives aimed at improving energy supply security while preserving the environment, like what the GECF is striving for.
He later described natural gas as a clean and safe source of energy with rich extractable reserves which is expected to have a considerable share in the world’s future energy basket. 
Natural gas can also be a contributing factor in the world’s challenging path of economic restoration following the coronavirus pandemic, according to Raisi. 
Highlighting the central role of GECF in guaranteeing the supply of energy, He suggested that the forum implement an initiative called “natural gas: serving global economy in the post-Covid-19 era.”

Safe Route  

The president stressed Iran’s position as one of the world’s greatest owners of gas reserves, saying it has great potential for production and export of this natural resource as well as cooperation in ensuring energy supply security.  
“Despite cruel, unilateral and illegal sanctions of the US, Iran has been able to increase its gas production and implement large-scale projects in upstream and downstream oil and gas sectors by relying on the domestic capabilities and local technical know-how,” he said.
Iran is also one of the leading countries in developing a domestic gas supply network, covering over 95% of the population, and replacing liquid fuels with natural gas in industry, transit and power plants, he noted. 
The share of natural gas in Iran’s energy basket has grown to more than 70%, and this progress will hopefully lead to an increase in the country’s exporting capacities as well, he said.  
“Relying on its huge reserves and its strategic geographical location, Iran aims to boost bilateral and multilateral cooperation with neighboring and other countries and play a proportional role in the global market,” Raisi said. 
The first step in this regard, was the trilateral gas swap agreement between Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan in November 2021, according to the president.  
“Iran invites all GECF members to share their knowledge and experiences regarding the extraction, processing and transit of gas and related technologies, while systematically cooperating through joint investments in the gas industry,” he said.   
Tehran is also ready to consider the establishment of a joint investment fund among GECF member states, Raisi added. 
“Iran’s regional strategy is to increase the production and export of natural gas to enable regional nations’ wider access to this clean energy, and thanks to its expanded distribution network and the capacities and demands of the region, it is prepared to become a safe route for the transit of gas between producers and consumer markets,” he said.