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The U.S. will find it difficult to cut Iran's oil exports completely as the oil market is already tight and rival producers cannot make up the shortfall, a top Iranian official said on Friday.
Washington is seeking to cut Iranian oil exports to zero by November as it reimposes sanctions, and is encouraging other producers such as Saudi Arabia, other OPEC members and Russia to pump more to meet the shortfall.
Even so, the expected loss of Iranian oil, declining supply from another OPEC member Venezuela and other outages are boosting crude prices, which this week hit $80 a barrel, the highest since May.
Iran's OPEC governor Hossein Kazempour Ardebili, said in comments to Reuters that a "supply shortage" meant that the United States would not be able to meet its zero export target.
"There is no spare capacity anywhere," he said.
The National Axis, a Sunni-leaning parliamentary bloc, has nominated Mohamed al-Halbusi for the post of speaker of Iraq’s recently-elected parliament.In a statement, National Axis spokesman Laith al-Deleimi said the bloc had chosen its “sole nominee” for the post, which, under Iraq’s constitution (promulgated after the 2003 U.S. invasion), is reserved for a Sunni Muslim.A National Axis source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Anadolu Agency that the bloc had informed other parliamentary coalitions regarding al-Halbusi’s nomination.Turkish FM meets Chinese envoy, Iraqi Turkmen leaderThe source added, however, that the position of parliament’s main Shia and Kurdish blocs regarding al-Halbusi’s candidacy “still remains unclear”.Other prominent Sunni politicians nominated for the post include former Defense Minister Khaled al-Obaidi and current Vice-President Osama al-Nujaifi.On Saturday, parliament will try -- for the third time -- to elect a new assembly speaker, along with two deputies.60,000 cases of water poisoning in Basra: Iraq watchdogLast week, parliament postponed the election for speaker to mid-September after a number of lawmakers decided to boycott the vote.Within 30 days of its first session, which was held early last week, parliament should elect -- by a two-thirds majority -- the country’s next president, according to the terms of the constitution.The new president will then task the majority bloc in parliament with drawing up a government, the outlines of which must be referred back to the assembly for final approval.US says Iran to pay for any attack on missions in IraqTurkey ramps up diplomatic efforts as Iraq spirals into chaos
Iraqi Sunni parliament bloc chooses nominee for speaker
A long-time adviser at Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry also said last month that current U.S. sanctions on Iran were unlikely to stop Iranian oil exports completely.
Under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to lower oil prices, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies agreed in June to boost production, having participated in a supply-cutting deal in place since 2017.
While OPEC production has increased since then, Saudi Arabia has added less crude than it initially indicated. Kazempour has voiced scepticism that other producers can add much more oil.
The OPEC governor is typically the second most senior post in a country's OPEC delegation after the oil minister. Kazempour has represented Iran in that position for many years.
Turkey is working to achieve a ceasefire in Syria's opposition-held northwest and is ready for cooperation to fight terrorist groups in the Idlib area, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Friday.Speaking at a joint news conference with his Pakistani counterpart, Çavuşoğlu said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the topic of Syria on Monday."Turkey is open to cooperation with everyone regarding efforts to fight terror groups in Syria," said Çavuşoğlu at a joint news conference in Islamabad with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.Video: Idlib locals flee to Turkish-controlled areas for safetyRecalling Turkey's efforts to find a political solution to the ongoing Syrian crisis, he said the efforts to reach a cease-fire in Idlib continue."We will continue our efforts with Iran and Russia... We will continue our efforts in international platforms as well. We have received tremendous support from many countries as well as United Nations and other organizations. Therefore, we should continue our efforts to bring peace and stability to the region," he added.Çavuşoğlu arrived in Islamabad on Thursday on an official visit upon the invitation of the Pakistani foreign minister.He was received by Pakistani President Arif Alvi, and Prime Minister Imran Khan.UN chief says US power in decline, world 'in pieces'The Turkish minister praised "strong" bilateral relations between Turkey and Pakistan, expressing willingness to further enhance cooperation in all areas. "We will devote more efforts to further enhance our solidarity, brotherhood, relations, and cooperation with Pakistan," he said.TradeThe two countries agreed to convene the 6th high level joint working group meeting soon in Islamabad and restart negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries.Qureshi said the two sides have decided to enhance bilateral and economic relations."Our relations are very strong which are based on a strong historic, cultural and regional background and now we would strengthen these relations further," Qureshi said.Video: Turkish, Pakistani Foreign Minister meet in IslamabadBoth side also discussed the current trade volume and termed it unsatisfactory. The trade volume between Turkey and Pakistan was around $650 million by the end of 2017."The current trade volume is not satisfactory and we have decided to remove all hurdles in way of enhancing the trade between both countries," Qureshi said.He thanked Turkey for supporting his country on different international forums especially at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting in February this year in Paris, where the U.S. and the U.K. moved to put Pakistan back on a list of countries which have failed to stem terror financing."Today I have an opportunity to say: 'thank you very much,' to my Turkish counterpart who helped and support us in the FATF meeting," Qureshi said.During the delegation level meeting, Qureshi also briefed Çavuşoğlu about his upcoming visit to Afghanistan."I have briefed the Turkish foreign minister regarding my expected visit to Kabul and we agreed to play our role to bring peace in Afghanistan," he said.US should reconsider its alliances in Syria: Turkish FM
Turkey is working to reach ceasefire in Syria's Idlib: FM