The European Union’s energy commissioner headed to Iran to strengthen ties following a growth in trade ties in response to the easing of sanctions.
EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete left Friday for Tehran for the inaugural bilateral business forum on sustainable energy, UPI reported.
The commission said the forum aims to bring more than 50 European companies with 40 of their Iranian counterparts to lay the ground work for joint partnerships in the energy sector.
While departing Brussels, the commissioner said trade between the EU and Iran is up 79 percent, with exports from Iran quadrupling since a multilateral nuclear agreement brought sanctions relief to the Islamic Republic in January 2016.
Following the conclusion of the JCPOA, Europe has the opportunity to shift towards a more constructive approach towards Iran.
“Now we want to take this success story one step further,” he said in a statement.
“The energy sector will feature prominently in our future relations and we are committed to fully tap into its economic and social potential while contributing to achieve our climate commitments.”
Iranian state media this week said the EU was already establishing stronger bilateral ties in the agricultural sector. The EU stressed the two-day forum in Tehran is geared toward clean energy and the transition to a low-carbon economy.
According to IRNA, non-oil exports for the 11 months to March 20 were up 33 percent.
International Monetary Fund projections said the economy of Iran, one of the top oil producers in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), should grow at a rate of about 4.5 percent, but wax and wane between growth of 6.6 percent this year and 3.3 percent through 2018.
A profile of the ease of doing business with Iran from Britain, which is now still part of the EU, said “Iran is the biggest new market to enter the global economy in over a decade.”
The first debate among the six candidates of the 12th Iranian presidential election has been aired live on state television.
The candidates outlined their plans for the post. They were given an equal time to garner as many votes as possible in order to win the ticket to the office.
The live broadcast, which lasted for three hours, aimed to reduce the candidates’ campaign spending and pave the way for eligible voters to make their choice based on the sharp-cut and unambiguous plans represented during the program.
The six candidates running for the presidential election are Seyed Mostafa Aqa-Mirsalim, Seyed Mostafa Hashemi-Taba, Es’haq Jahangiri, Hassan Rouhani, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi.
Iranians will go to the polls on May 19 to elect the country’s next president.
The six Iran presidential hopefuls
Upon entering the headquarters of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) in the capital, Tehran, Rouhani was asked if he was ready, to which he responded, “We’re probably all ready that we have come [here].”
Meanwhile, Mehr news agency reported that the debate had been put off half an hour to 16:30 local time (1200 GMT) upon the request of Rouhani’s camp.
Morteza Heidari, the renowned Iranian television news host and presenter who moderated the debate, also said he was prepared for the task and everything had been rehearsed
Iranian presidential candidates Hassan Rouhani (3rd L) and Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi lead the group of hopefuls to the IRIB studio in Tehran where a debate is due to be held on April 28, 2016.
There will be three live televised debates in total. Today’s debate focused on social issues while the next two will revolve around economic and political matters.
The candidates have drawn lots to determine their seating arrangement for the debate. Every effort seems to have been made not to leave any room for accusations of partiality.
According to schedule, Fars News Agency reports, the candidates can hold a meeting of 15 minutes with the aides and advisors after 90 minutes of debate.
The debate began with Heidari outlining its format and regulations and how the time would be broken up between the candidates.
Settlement on outskirts of cities
Aqa-Mirsalim was the first candidate to answer the first question about settlements on the outskirts and peripheries of cities. This too was determined through a draw. Aqa-Mirsalim expressed his serious concern about lack of management of natural resources. He said correct water management would be the first step to reduce immigration from rural areas to cities. He added that lack of attention to proper spatial planning was the main reason behind immigration.
The other five candidates then took two-minute turns to make their own remarks on the issue and challenge Aqa-Mirsalim. Hashemi-Taba said Iran is plagued with severe environmental crisis. The third hopeful, incumbent Rouhani, said that immigration to big cities is a major problem not only in Iran but in most countries. He added that unemployment and low income are major reasons behind immigration to big cities. Qalibaf, for his part, said social and economic imbalance is a major reason behind immigration. Jahangiri said attention to immigrants to big cities must be the first priority in tackling their problems. Raeisi said the first priority is to have correct figures on immigration to big cities. While Qalibaf put the number of outskirts dwellers at 11 million, Raeisi said the figure belongs to four years ago and currently stands at around 16 million.
Aqa-Mirsalim then retook to the podium and said immigration should be curbed before it gives rise to social crises and added that 350,000 illegal wells have wasted the country’s water resources and caused immigration. The candidate said social facilities must be distributed evenly in cities and villages and expressed regret that some 10.2 million Iranians are totally illiterate. He noted that suitable housing must be provided in small towns and villages to prevent immigration.
Social justice
Raeisi was next up on the podium. He responded to a query on social justice and how to establish and promote it in Iran. In the four minutes allocated to him, Raeisi said the GINI Index, a measurement of the income distribution of a country’s residents, shows class divide has increased in Iran, adding that tripling subsidies handed out to lower classes would be a good way to narrow the social gaps. He noted that tax evasion must be prevented to promote social justice.
Rouhani stressed the importance of striking a balance between eastern and western parts of the country. Qalibaf said promoting social justice would be difficult as long as urban crises are not resolved. Jahangiri said social justice is not limited to economic issues but also includes education, political and judicial matters.
Raeisi one again took to the podium to give his responses and explanations about questions raised by the other hopefuls. He said joblessness and shutdown of production units are major problems facing the country’s economy. He added that the next administration must make plans to narrow social gaps in a bid to promote justice.
Housing
Hashemi-Taba was the third candidate who took to the podium to responsd to a debate question about his plans to solve the country’s housing problem. He said bank loans and mass construction would be good ways to tackle the housing problem, adding that job creation would help resolve this issue.
Jahangiri said unoccupied housing units are the main obstacle to solving the housing problem and added that increasing bank loans and establishing housing investment funds would be good solutions to this issue.
Hashemi-Taba then retook to the podium and used his five-minute time to answer the raised questions.
Youth marriage
Rouhani was the next hopeful taking to the podium to respond to a debate question about his plans to encourage the youth marriage. He said unemployment was the main problem facing the promotion of youth marriage and added that boosting hope and avoiding unnecessary limitations in the society are key to solve problems. He said hope for future has increased in the Iranian society and employment has improved. Hope for future and employment are the best ways to promote youth marriage in Iran, Rouhani added.
Raeisi said banking facilities, housing and employment are the main necessities to promote marriage among young Iranians. The other candidates also offered their viewpoints with Qalibaf challenging Rouhani on an alleged pledge that Rouhani had made during the previous presidential campaign to create four million jobs. Rouhani denied ever making that promise.
Rouhani then said oil revenues and taxation are major sources of the administration’s income and noted that his administration has reduced dependence on oil revenues to below 30 percent.
Cutting down on red tape
Jahangiri was the fifth presidential candidate to use his four-minute time to outline his plans on reducing bureaucracy in executive bodies. He said the current administration has managed to change the security-based approach to social issues and added that most of the Iranian people are not satisfied with municipalities and banks. The current first vice president said the establishment of an e-government was the major step to reduce bureaucracy.
Raeisi said an electronic government would increase transparency and facilitate the administrative processes. Rouhani said some media outlets undermine the social capital in the country. In this segment, Qalibaf questioned the reason behind Jahangiri’s candidacy, implying that Jahangiri has only registered to support Rouhani.
Jahangiri said forceful measures would fail to solve social problems and added that he took part in the presidential election as a representative of the Reformist camp. The current first vice president emphasized that the 11th administration has managed to increase petrochemical production by nine million tonnes.
Environmental challenges
Qalibaf was the last hopeful taking to the podium to answer a question about his plans to tackle the environmental challenges if elected president. He said the dust storm problem is currently plaguing 20 Iranian provinces and added that inappropriate measures taken inside the country has led to this crisis.
Jahangiri said the current administration has succeeded in taking essential measures to solve the environmental problems. He added that 70 percent of the dust storm problem stems from reasons beyond Iran’s borders.
Qalibaf defended the performance of Tehran Municipality in the environment-protection sector, saying it has used garbage to generate power and produce compost. The mayor of Tehran added that over 20,000 hectares have been planted with trees around the capital.
With all the six candidates having taken to the podium, the moderator announced the end of the first section of the debate and called a break before the beginning of the second round.
Round 2
In the second section, each candidate was given two minutes to answer a question raised by the moderator. Draws determined the candidate and the question that he answers.
Rouhani explained his plans to promote employment for women, saying his administration has managed to create 700,000 jobs for women. He added that women account for over 50 percent of university students in Iran.
As per the draw, Aqa-Mirsalim next responded to a question about his plans to solve the heavy traffic problem in big cities and said giving priority to public transport would be the best solution to the issue.
Jahangiri was asked about his plans to boost the social status of the elites. He highlighted the fact that Iranian elites have greatly increased the country’s scientific ranking in the world.
Raeisi responded to a question about his plans to promote the culture of sportsmanship and said winning medals in sports is very important for the country.
Qalibaf and Hashemi-Taba also in turn provided answered to the questions posed to them. In this section Qalibaf displayed a screenshot of the Iranian president’s website which he claimed confirms his remarks about Rouhani’s pledge during the previous campaign to create four million jobs.
The next and final section of the debate involved each candidate providing their concluding remarks. This section involved a verbal back and forth between Qalibaf and Rouhani over some of the claims against the latter by the former throughout the debate.
Full English Video of Iran 2017 presidential candidates hold first live debate on social affairs
NPC Head Marzieh Shah-Daei said Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed with four international companies following implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Director of National Petrochemical Company (NPC) made the remarks on the sidelines of the 13th International Iran Petrochemical Forum (IPF 2017) on Saturday morning in Tehran.
“The Iranian petchem industry was warmly welcomed following sanctions removal and talks have been held with credible international companies like Shell and Total,” she added.
Shah-Daei, while noting that four cooperation agreements have been so far inked, said “Iranian firms and holdings could take the emerged opportunity to attract technology and investment to the country.”
The official said the foreign parties were conducting technical analysis in order to determine the precise amount of investment; “the petrochemical industry requires large volumes of investments hence the need to rely on foreign financers.”
NPC managing director went on to stress that the JCPOA paved the path for cooperation between Iranian and foreign firms as evidenced by increased presence of foreign parties inside the country.
Marzieh Shah-Daei, while referring to the need for 40 billion dollars of financial resources for investment in new petchem projects, enumerated major advantages of the Iranian industry including favorable geographical location, low production costs as well as feedstock diversity.
On resolving banking issues, she maintained that foreign firms had agreed to launch cooperation with banks in a bid to prepare grounds for guaranteed investment.
NPC head later emphasized that priority was given to projects which consume natural gas and help complete the production chain.
Production volume of the Iranian petrochemical industry has reached 62 million tons while the figure is expected to hit 72 million tons with inauguration of seven new complexes by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (to end March 21, 2018).
Last year, Iran deployed 21 million tons of petrochemical products worth 9.4 billion dollars to international markets.
National Petrochemical Company (NPC) of Iran is holding its 13th International Iran Petrochemical Forum (IPF 2017) with collaboration of Iranian Inc. for Contemporary International Conferences & Fairs (IICIC), on 22-23 April 2017 at IRIB Int’l Conference Center in Tehran, Iran.
Iran and Portugal have signed a document on abolition of visas for those holding political or service passports in a meeting in Tehran on Saturday.
The document was signed at the end of a meeting between Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary and Iranian Affairs Hassan Ghashghavi and Portugal’s Secretary of State for Internationalization, Jorge Costa Oliveira.
The measure is considered a highly significant step toward further development of political, economic and cultural relations between the two countries.
During the meeting, the Portuguese official highlighted the many fields for expansion of political, economic and cultural cooperation with Iran, expressing his country’s readiness to make every effort in this regard.
Ghashghavi, for his part, voiced his satisfaction at the signing of the document on the abolition of visas for holders of political and service passports, and warmly welcomed the expansion of bilateral ties in all areas.
He also stressed Tehran’s keen interest in furthering cooperation with Lisbon in trade, tourism, academic and parliamentary fields.
The Iranian official further noted that the abolition of visa with Portugal as a Schengen Area member state is an effective measure in bringing the two countries closer than ever and increasing mutual transactions.
Oil Minister Zanganeh said negotiations with the Danish business conglomerate, Maersk Group, were being pursued over development of South Pars Oil Layer (SPOL).
Bijan Zangaeh, while pointing to continuation of talks with Maersk Group, voiced optimism that final agreements will be reached in near future.
“What’s more, Pars Oil and Gas Company Ltd. has been chosen as the contractor of the project,” he continued.
In the same line, Deputy Head of NIOC for Development and Engineering Affairs Gholamreza Manouchehri recounted on results of negotiations asserting “for the moment, talks will continue with Denmark’s Maersk until a contract is signed in near future.”
Manouchehri’s remarks come at a time when he has asked Petroiran Development Company to seek consultations from Maersk Group. Such an emphasis seems to be rooted in the fact that the Danish firm is in charge of developing South Pars Oil Layer project.
Complementing oil minister’s statements on the change in the project’s contractor, the NIOC official said “the primary contractor of the project was Pars Oil and Gas Company though the responsibility was later shifted to the Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC) before returning to the former again based on recent decisions.”
“SPOL was supposed to yield 35,000 oil barrels per day on a regular basis though the output figure currently stands at 25 thousand barrels and will hopefully reach the envisaged level by the end of current year,” stressed the official.
Until a year ago, Maersk Group was in charge of development and production in the Qatari side of South Pars Oil Layer and it had managed to recover one billion barrels. Nevertheless, Total’s proposal to Qatar over the layer led the Danish firm out of the oil-rich region and marked an end to its partnership with Qataris.
Afterwards, Maersk launched more serious talks with National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) though no final deal has been sealed yet. Several decades ago, the Danish business conglomerate held sessions with the Iranian Ministry of Petroleum though its proposals were rejected and Petroiran Development Company was put in charge of the developmental project.
Several marginal issues in the drilling project and failure of Schlumberger drilling program brought about a series of unwanted events until the first Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit was purchased.
Return of Maersk Group to Iran is reminiscent of the remarks made by International Petroleum Consultant and the then Director of Maersk for legal affairs and contract Pasha Ramazanpour who said “despite willingness of the Danish firm to develop the oil layer, the project has been assigned to a newly-formed Iranian company.”
A.P. Moller–Maersk Group, also known as Maersk, is a Danish business conglomerate. A.P. Møller – Maersk Group has activities in a variety of business sectors, primarily within the transport and energy sectors.
In the nineteen-eighties, when I was a child, my family rarely took vacations. There had been a revolution in Iran, and there was a war on. Most of our trips were to the gardens of family and friends; a couple of times we went to Shomal, as the green band of forests south of the Caspian Sea is known. In those days, travelling was all about us pleasing the group.
We once rented a house by the sea. Everybody had tasks. The women cooked. I was told to keep the frogs and cats away from my paranoid aunt. In the afternoon, when my uncle went jogging, I had to run behind him, carrying a boom box playing “Eye of the Tiger.” He had just returned from the front, and he loved “Rocky.”
That was a rare memory. At home and on trips, we often spent our time hiding from others. We gathered behind walls and inside houses to avoid the sternness of the Islamic Revolution. Public space was no fun: there was always someone disturbing your privacy, making you feel uncomfortable.
Now I look at the youth of today, who are hitchhiking their way through the country, discovering its islands, mountain passes, and changing-color deserts. It took more than three decades for Iranians to venture out once again; now they can’t seem to get enough of it. Newsha Tavakolian
The New Yorker
In 330 B.C.E., when Alexander the Great invaded Persia, he destroyed Persepolis. Today, schoolchildren visit the ancient capital and marvel that there was a time when the Persian Empire ruled over much of the world. Photograph by Newsha Tavakolian / Magnum for The New Yorker
A close up of the salt mountains, a part of Hormuz’s diverse geology. Tourists visit the area to marvel at the different colours and shapes of the salt.
A series of carpets laid out to dry after having been washed by professional carpet cleaners, near the royal graves of Naghs-e Rostam, that are carved out in the mountains. They are washing the tapestries for the coming Iranian New Year, that coincides with the Spring equinox, usually on March 21st. The tombs of Iran’s most revered pre-Islamic kings, like Darius, Xerxes and others have been raided long ago, but the reliefs cut out of the mountains’ rocks remain, just as an ancient Zoroastrian fire temple, for tourists to visit.
The Valley of Stars, on the island of Qeshm, was likely formed by prehistoric erosion, though legend holds that it was created by a falling star. Photograph by Newsha Tavakolian / Magnum for The New Yorker
One part of Hormuz island is coral red. The earth is used both for colouring fabrics and make-up. A worker who spends his days gathering up the red soil is waiting during a break.
A driver of a horse and carriage waiting for customers to drive around Isfahan’s Naghshe-Jahan square, or ‘Image of the world’. The city is famous for its Islamic architecture, promoted by the Safavid kings who not only solidified the Shiite faith in Iran, but also enjoyed watching Polo games from the massive balcony of the Ali Qapu palace overlooking the square. The Lotfullah mosque, seen in the background, has been closed for centuries as it was a sacred place for the members of the Shah’s harem but is now open to tourists.
The salt mountains are a part of Hormuz’s diverse geology. Tourists visit the area to marvel at the different colours and shapes of the salt. Mahtab, a tourist from Tehran, is taking a selfie.
The Persian Gulf island Qeshm has a very diverse geology, allowing tourists to visit deserts and mountains and in this case the ‘jungle of Hara’, a mangrove forest. In recent years Iranian tourists have started to discover this and other islands, located in the blue waters of the Persian Gulf. Long secret spots, visited mainly by Iranian hippies and adventurers, the islands are now attracting a wider range of visitors. They come especially in winter when temperatures are cooler and the air is less humid. Jungle of Hara- qeshm
In the fifth century B.C.E., Persia’s most revered kings were buried in the stone mountain at Naqsh-e Rustam. Robbers have looted the crypts, but tourists still come to see the reliefs cut into the rock. Photograph by Newsha Tavakolian / Magnum for The New Yorker
Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, falls on the spring equinox. In Masouleh, villagers mark the occasion by letting sheep out to graze. Photograph by Newsha Tavakolian / Magnum for The New Yorker
The inauguration of phases 17-21 paves the way for Iran to overtake neighboring Qatar in production from the offshore gas field which it shares with Iran, Iranian officials said, reported AFP.
Iran has so far developed 12 phases in the field – phases 1, 2&3, 4&5, 6-8, 9&10, 15&16. The remaining phases are 11, 12, 13, 14 and 22-24.
“Our production has reached 575 million cubic meters per day,” said Rouhani at the ceremony.
Iran’s total gas production is 885 million cubic meters per day.
It is estimated that production from every two phases of South Pars would generate $3.5-$4 billion for Iran. Reports further said that the total investments in phases that were inaugurated today would be reimbursed within less than two years.
“At the height of sanctions, with the help of Iranian engineers and workers, we succeeded in developing 11 phases of South Pars,” noted Oil Minister Bijan Namadar Zanganeh.
South Pars is the largest known gas reserves in the world. Iran has the largest gas reserves in the world, and the fourth-largest oil reserves.
Each of the new projects produces 28 million cubic meters per day, Zanganeh told reporters late Saturday.
Qatar announced earlier this month that it was ending a 12-year ban on new projects at its section of the shared field. Qataris call their part of the deposit the North Field, which together with South Pars forms the world’s largest reserves of non-associated gas. Iran has no plans to impede Qatar over its activities at North Field, Zanganeh said. “They can carry out their development projects as we do ours,” he said.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated Phase 19 development project of the South Pars gas field (SP. 19).
Iran is targeting the export of 50 million cubic meters of gas per day to neighboring Iraq once that country can arrange for a letter of credit to finance the purchase, Zanganeh said.
Since the nuclear deal went into effect in January 2016, Iran has increased oil production from 2.6 million barrels per day (mbd) to 3.9 mbd, while more than doubling its oil exports.
Iran has signed a flurry of deals with Western companies over the past year since the easing of international sanctions on Tehran after an accord was reached over its nuclear program.
Iran needs foreign investment for repairs and upgrading of its oil and gas fields. It also seeks the transfer of technology to its oil industry after a decade of sanctions.
In November 2016, France’s Total became the first oil major to sign a big deal with Tehran since the lifting of sanctions and agreed to help it develop the world’s largest gas field, South Pars.
Shell signed a provisional deal in December to develop Iranian oil and gas fields of South Azadegan, Yadavaran and Kish.
Iran has named 29 companies from more than a dozen countries as being eligible to bid for oil and gas projects using the new, less restrictive contract model.
The firms include Shell, France’s Total, Italy’s Eni, Malaysia’s Petronas and Russia’s Gazprom and Lukoil, as well as companies from China, Austria, Japan and other countries.
Russia’s Zarubezhneft signed an MoU for a feasibility study on two joint fields in the west of the country.
Norway’s International Aker Solutions Company signed an MoU to modernize Iran’s oil industry.
Last May, Austria’s OMV signed an MoU for projects in the Zagros area in western Iran and the Fars field in the south.
Italy’s Saipem signed MoUs to cooperate on pipeline projects, upgrading of refineries and development of Tous gas field in the northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi.
Norwegian oil and gas company DNO said it was the second Western energy company after Total to sign a deal with Iran under which it agreed to study the development of the Changuleh oilfield in western Iran.
Lukoil, Russia’s second biggest oil producer, hopes to reach a decision on developing two new oilfields in Iran.
Germany’s Siemens AG signed an MoU in May to overhaul equipment and facilities at Iran’s oil operations and refineries.
BASF’s Wintershall oil and gas exploration subsidiary signed an MoU with the National Iranian Oil Company in April 2016.
South Korea‘s intake of Iranian crude oil soared to a record high in March and its first-quarter crude imports from Iran nearly doubled on year, reflecting Tehran’s efforts to raise output after the lifting of sanctions early last year.
The increase in volumes since international sanctions against Tehran were lifted in January 2016 has made Iran the second-largest oil supplier to South Korea after Saudi Arabia, in the first quarter of 2017, reported Reuters quoting preliminary customs data on Saturday.
Iran was fifth-largest in the first quarter of 2016, behind Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar, according to data from Korea National Oil Corp. (KNOC).
The official KNOC data ranked Iran as second-largest for the first two months of the year. KNOC figures for March and the quarter are due out in one week.
In March, the customs data showed South Korea imported 2.26 million tons of Iranian crude, or 534,368 barrels per day (bpd), up 118.8 percent from 1.03 million tons a year ago, reaching a record. That was up 38.3 percent from 1.63 million tons in February.
The world’s fifth-largest crude importer and one of Tehran’s biggest customers shipped in 5.68 million tons of Iranian crude in the first three months of 2017, or 463,234 bpd, up 92.4 percent from the 2.96 million tons imported during the same period a year ago.
Meanwhile, oil shipments from Saudi Arabia to South Kore, rose 10.9 percent to 3.52 million tons, or 831,413 bpd, in March on year. That was down 2.6 percent from 3.61 million tons a month ago as the world’s top oil exporter complies with the OPEC deal to cut supplies.
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and some non-OPEC members reached an agreement to curb output last year by almost 1.8 mbd in the first half of 2017. Iran was exempted from the deal.
South Korea’s crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia fell 10 percent to 10.44 million tons in the first quarter of this year, or 850,614 bpd, from 11.61 million tons in the previous quarter, but that was 5.7 percent higher on year.
Overall, Asia’s fourth-largest economy brought in 12.68 million tons of crude oil in March this year, or nearly 3 mbd — up 10.1 percent from 11.52 million tons a year ago — according to the data.
For the first quarter of 2017, South Korea imported 36.94 million tons of crude, or 3.01 mbd, up 4.6 percent from 35.32 million tons a year earlier.
Final data for the country’s March crude oil imports will be released by state-run KNOC later this month.
Iran’s Oil Ministry said early this month that the country’s total exports of crude oil and condensates had exceeded three million barrels per day — a level not seen for at least the past six years.
Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said, “The pace of growth in Iran’s crude oil production and exports has amazed international observers who did not think Iran could raise its production by one million barrels per day within three to four months after the removal of sanctions.”
According to the ministry, almost a third of Iran’s oil exports, or over 700,000 bpd, is currently destined for Europe. The country exported around 600,000 bpd of oil to Europe during pre-sanctions years.
A top oil official said last December that Iran had started exports of condensate to Europe by sending a maiden cargo of one million barrels to certain EU clients.
Iran women athletic championships held in Shiraz on 11 April 2017. In this competitions Fars province team become champion and Khorasan Razavi and Tehran placed in 2nd and 3rd rank.
Playing a basketball match between two women teams wearing the hijab is a historical moment for them, FIBA Secretary General and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member Patrick Baumann said.
It served as an opportunity for FIBA representatives to witness a game with players wearing the hijab.
This comes ahead of next month’s Mid-Term Congress, when FIBA will receive a proposal from its Technical Commission that would allow headgear to be worn safely by athletes as basketball’s world governing body favors a modification of its current headgear rule.
“This is a historical moment for women’s sport in Iran. I would like to thank the federation and the Iranian authorities for making this unprecedented event take place,” Baumann said.
Head of Iran Basketball Federation Mahmoud Mashhoun also thanked FIBA for supporting them to give the chance the Iranian women playing with hijab.
“I would like to thank FIBA for this opportunity and for supporting us for all these years. It is an historical day not just for Iran but for the whole Muslim world. We are hopeful that FIBA will come up with a positive decision regarding the matter of headgear,” Mashhoun said.
