Deputy
oil minister : Iran vows not to use oil as weapon
Reuters
Iran's Deputy Oil Minister Mohammad Hadi Nejad-Hosseinian at his
office in Tehran, Iran February 20, 2006.
Middle East on line
TEHRAN
Petroleumworld.com 02 23 06
Iran will not reduce its oil exports to use as a weapon in its
nuclear row with the West, its deputy oil minister said on Wednesday.
"Iran does not intend to use oil as a weapon to fight nuclear
pressures," state television quoted Hadi Nejad-Hoseinian
as saying.
Iran has been
reported to the UN Security Council, where it could face sanctions
over its controversial nuclear programme, which the West fears
is a cover for weapons ambitions.
The second
largest OPEC producer, Iran says it wants nuclear technology simply
for civilian purposes, to meet its energy needs.
President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said, however, that Iran had the upper
hand when it came to enduring any eventual sanctions.
"Energy
is a matter for the West ... any decision in this regard will
not hurt us. It will hurt the consumers and not the producers,"
he said earlier this month.
Iran's economy
is state-dominated and largely kept afloat by crude sales.
Middle East on line 02 22 06
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