Speaking to reporters upon his arrival at Helsinki
Hotel in Vienna on Thursday morning, the official said, “As I have said
earlier, at this stage and as long as the sanctions continue, Iran does not
participate in any agreement on OPEC production, and must be excluded from any
decision on the level of production.”
“Iran has always supported OPEC and its
positions for market stability, but at this point, as I said earlier, as long
as Iran is faced with sanctions, it will not participate in any agreements on
production,” he reiterated.
The official said many proposals were on the
table regarding production cuts and members which wanted to reduce their output
must make decisions about it.
He also refrained from announcing Iran’s
crude oil production and exports, saying “This would lead to more US pressure
on Iran.”
Asked about potential OPEC production cuts,
Mr. Zangeneh said, “Different figures are proposed and we must wait and see
what decision OPEC members will make.”
He also said that $60 to $70 dollars per
barrel would be reasonable for crude oil.
“If Mr. Hook has come to Vienna to apply for
US membership in OPEC and therefore meets OPEC members, this request can be reviewed,
but if he wants to push for more pressure on Iran through OPEC, it is an
unprofessional move.”
“OPEC is an independent organization and no
part of the US Department of Energy to take orders from Washington.”
Not Happy with Qatar Leaving OPEC
"Iran is not happy with the departure of
Qatar from OPEC and is unaware of the reason behind this decision," the Iranian
Minister of Petroleum said.
In response to a question about Iran's exit from
the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, he stated: “Iran is one
of the founders of OPEC and is not going to leave the organization.”
Zangeneh also touched on meeting with Russian
Energy Minister Alexander Novak in Vienna, saying: “I welcome this meeting for exchange
of views between the two countries.”
JMMC needed to operate within scope of its
mandate
Zangeneh said Iran’s joining the Joint
OPEC-non-OPEC Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) must be examined.
Last year, the committee operated beyond the
scope of its authority, he said rejecting rumors that Iran would join the
committee next year, he said.
In response to the question of whether the
committee should stop its activities, the minister said: "It would be
better if the committee acted within its mandate instructed to it by OPEC.”
Regarding the Declaration of Cooperation of
OPEC and non-OPEC producers, he said the deal shall be regarded as a
cooperation agreement and nothing beyond that. “The declaration should not be
regarded as a new organization or anything like it.”
An OPEC Meeting is scheduled for
Thursday (December 6) and a meeting of oil producers and non-OPEC members on
Friday (December 7) in Vienna.