Iran plans to appear in new oil markets

Iran's Oil Ministry Spokesman Alireza Nikzad-Rahbar has said that the Islamic republic plans to appear in new oil markets, Tehran Times daily reported on Saturday. Nikzad-Rahbar dismissed the reports that Iran's current oil exports had declined due to the Western sanctions. On Oct. 12, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report that Iran's oil exports fell to 860,000 barrels per day ( bpd) in September. The figure was 2.2 million in December 2011. The reports are "propaganda war," Nikzad-Rahbar said, adding that Iran's oil exports are "continuing their normal trend," and that Iran is set to appear in "new markets." "By creating new capacities, the Islamic republic will have the capability to increase its output in the future," he was quoted as saying. Following the IEA report, Iran's OPEC Governor Mohammad-Ali Khatibi also dismissed the report saying that the oil exports of the Islamic republic had remained steady in recent months. Khatibi denied that Iran's oil buyers were limited to few countries, saying that "we are always exploring new markets but we don't publicize them much because it may be detrimental." According to Tehran Times' Saturday report, Nikzad-Rahbar further noted that the Iranian crude is indispensable to the world energy markets and "The world cannot do without Iranian oil." On Oct. 15, the European Union (EU) decided to enforce fresh sanctions against Iran, including a ban on the import of natural gas from Iran to the EU. It also agreed to broaden the existing export ban on key equipment and entities for the Iranian oil, gas and petrochemical industries. The EU imposed an embargo on Iran's oil export on July 1. Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said Tuesday that Western " sanctions are not new to Iran. We have been dealing with them for more than 30 years." The West has been accusing Iran of secretly developing nuclear weapons under civilian disguise, a charge that has always been denied by Tehran.