Iran to remain Japan's key energy supplier

A prominent Japanese diplomat underlined Iran's key role in supplying global energy needs, and added that Tehran will remain a vital source of energy supply for his country. Speaking to FNA on Sunday, Tokyo's Ambassador to Tehran Kinichi Kumano stated that "Iran has always been and will always remain a vital source of energy for Japan." The Japanese government and private firms are seeking a waiver from the US economic sanctions against Iran, Kumano added. "The status quo will have to change so that the interests of both Iran and Japan are fulfilled," he noted. Iranian officials have always stressed that the US and EU decision to impose a ban on Iran's oil supply is ineffective because there are always many customers for Iranian crude. After months of debates, the EU member states reached an agreement in their meeting on January 23 to sanction oil imports from Iran and freeze the assets of Iran's Central Bank within the EU. Following the decision, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton claimed that the sanctions are aimed at pressuring Iran to return to talks over its nuclear program. Despite Ashton's claims, Iran has always underlined its preparedness to resume talks with the West but has meantime stressed that it will never accept any precondition for such talks. The Iranian oil ministry in a statement late January downplayed the effects of the US and EU's unilateral oil sanctions against Tehran, and said such embargoes will merely harm the European economies and oil consuming countries. European sanctions against Iran's oil exports will affect world economy and hurt European and non-European countries, the statement said.