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Iran is now looking to export 1 million barrels per day of oil from this new port on its coastline along the Gulf of Oman
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It has reportedly built a 1,000-km pipeline to carry its crude from Goreh in Bushehr province to the new terminal
Iran has started exporting crude through its first terminal in the Gulf of Oman, said local reports on Thursday, July 22.
The reports quoted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as saying in a televised address that this this was so the country could avoid using the Strait of Hormuz.
The shipping route through the Strait has been a focus of regional tension for decades, said the reports.
“This is a strategic move and an important step for Iran. It will secure the continuation of our oil exports,” the reports quoted Rouhani as saying about the new port called Bandar-e-Jask.
“Today, the first shipment of 100 tonnes of oil is loaded outside the Strait of Hormuz. This shows the failure of the US sanctions,” he added.
Rouhani said Iran was now looking to export 1 million barrels per day of oil from this new port on its coastline along the Gulf of Oman.
Iran has reportedly built a 1,000-km pipeline to carry its crude from Goreh in Bushehr province to the new terminal, which is located just south of the Strait of Hormuz.
The reports quoted Rouhani saying about the strait: “We had a terminal and if there was a problem, our oil exports would be cut off.”
He added: “The oil industry is very important for us, and it is also important for the enemy.”
The reference was clearly to the US, which has hit Iran with sanctions since 2018, when then US President Donald Trump decided to walk away from the nuclear deal that Iran had with six powerful nations across the world.
Trump’s successor Joe Biden has revived talks with Iran, albeit indirectly, in Vienna to reinstate the deal, which could see the sanctions lifted if Iran agreed to the curbs the six world powers wanted on its nuclear program.