Apr 02 2012 |
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Yildiz Denies Notification Of US Sanctions On Turkey Over Iran Imports
Yildiz Denies Notification Of US Sanctions On Turkey Over Iran Imports
Turkey’s Minister of Energy Taner Yildiz told reporters on 23 March that the Turkish government has not been officially notified of its inclusion in any US sanctions list resulting from its continued purchasing of Iranian crude oil. Turkey normally imports around 200,000 b/d of crude from Iran, accounting for one-third of its overall imports (MEES , 19 March). All of Turkey’s imports are consumed by the country’s principal refiner, Tupras, under an annual contract that expires in August. Tupras executives have warned that finding alternative sources of crude will lead to higher prices for consumers, noting that in May they may have a clearer understanding of US intentions.
Mr Yildiz told reporters: “There is no official list that the US has issued that covers 12 countries including Turkey. We have received no such list.” He was responding to a story published by Reuters on 21 March, which quoted an anonymous US State Department official as saying that 12 nations including Iran’s largest crude oil importer, China, will be sanctioned for “failure to comply” with US sanctions implemented on 31 December 2011 (MEES , 2/9 January).
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced on 21 March that Washington has decided to exempt Japan and 10 EU member states from the latest round of sanctions against oil imports from Iran, which are due to take effect on 28 June 2012. The 10 exempt EU states were listed as: Belgium, UK, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland and Spain. Mrs Clinton said: “The actions taken by these countries were not easy… They had to rethink their energy needs at a critical time for the world economy and quickly begin to find alternatives to Iranian oil, which many had been reliant on for their energy needs”(MEES, 26 March).
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