File photo: Iran's OPEC governor Hossein Kazempour
Iran said on Tuesday U.S. President Donald Trump was mistaken to expect Saudi Arabia and other oil producers to compensate for supply losses caused by U.S. sanctions on Iran, after OPEC production rose only modestly in July.
The comments, from Iran’s OPEC governor, came a day after a Reuters survey showed OPEC production rose by 70,000 barrels per day in July. Saudi production increased but was offset by a decline in Iranian supply due to the restart of U.S. sanctions, the survey found.
President Donald Trump said Monday he would meet with Iran's leadership without preconditions as the countries grapple with the consequences of his decision to pull the U.S. out of a landmark nuclear accord."I would certainly meet with Iran if they wanted to meet," Trump told reporters at a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte at the White House, caging his words by saying he is unsure if Iran is ready to talk but insisting that talks could be beneficial.“Speaking to other people, especially when you’re talking about potentials of war and death and famine and lots of other things, you meet. There’s nothing wrong with meeting," Trump added.Earlier Monday, Iran's foreign ministry dismissed the possibility of holding talks with Washington, saying "it is not possible to have talks with a U.S. administration that adopts hostile policies against Iran".Trump elicited Iran's furor in May when he unilaterally pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear accord the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany struck with Iran. The deal saw Tehran accept unprecedented curbs and inspections on its nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in sanctions relief.The U.S.'s negotiating partners have been seeking to shore up the agreement and its restrictions on Iran's nuclear program. But following his announcement, Trump and his administration have been seeking to get others to follow suit with the threat of sanctions that are expected to take effect next week.Turkey, Russia, Iran meet ahead of Syria talksIran currency extends record fall as US sanctions loomThe first round of sanctions, largely targeting Iran's banking sector, are set to take effect Aug. 6. A second, more robust wave of oil-related sanctions is set to snap back Nov. 4.With “Washington's hostile measures against Tehran and its efforts to put economic pressure on the country and impose sanctions, there will remain no possibility for talks,” Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi told reporters.Trump maintained, however, that talks would be "good for the country. Good for them, good for us. And good for the world," and said he believes Iran will be willing to sit down eventually."I do believe that they will probably end up wanting to meet, and I’m ready to meet anytime they want to," he said.Iran denies any ‘possible’ talks with USShutdownTrump continued to double down on his threat to shut down the U.S. government if Congress does not sign off on his border security proposals, emphasizing that in addition to his long list of measures, "border security includes the wall" he has promised to build on the U.S.'s southern border."If we don’t get border security, after many, many years of talk within the United States, I would have no problem doing a shutdown," he said. "I would be certainly willing to consider a shutdown if we don’t get proper border security."The last government shutdown that affected government services occurred in January and lasted only three days. Another brief shutdown in February lasted under half a day.Government funding will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, which concludes at the end of September.The prospect of a shutdown has rattled Republicans ahead of November's midterm elections, where they are seeking to maintain their slim hold on the Senate and maintain their majority in the House.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell conceded Friday that funding for Trump's wall would "probably" have to wait until after the midterms.
'I would meet Iran without preconditions': Trump
"It seems President Trump has been taken hostage by Saudi Arabia and a few producers when they claimed they can replace 2.5 million barrels per day of Iranian exports, encouraging him to take action against Iran,” Hossein Kazempour Ardebili told Reuters.
The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria plans talks with Iran, Russia and Turkey in September to start finalising the composition of the body intended to draft a new Syrian constitution, a statement said on Tuesday.Staffan de Mistura, attending two-day talks with the three powers in Russia, has received lists from the Assad government and opposition on proposed candidates for the Constitutional Committee."The Special Envoy looks forward to holding formal consultations (with the three countries) ... very early in September in Geneva, in order to begin to finalise the constitutional committee," the statement said.Turkey remembers victims of ASALA terror attacksTurkey, Russia, Iran set to free some Syrian detainees
UN plans talks with Iran, Russia, Turkey on Syria constitutional panel
"Now they and Russia sell more oil and more expensively. Not even from their incremental production but their stocks."
He said oil prices, which Trump has been pressuring the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to bring down by raising output, will rise unless the United States grants waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
"They are also calling for the use of the U.S. SPR (Strategic Petroleum Reserve). This will also mean higher prices. U.S. waivers to our clients if they come is due to the failure of bluffers (Saudi and the other producers) and, if not given, will again push the prices higher," he said.
To pave the way for talks with Iran, the United States should return to a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers, an aide to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday.'I would meet Iran without preconditions': Trump"Respecting the Iranian nation's rights, reducing hostilities and returning to the nuclear deal are steps that can be taken to pave the bumpy road of talks between Iran and America," tweeted Hamid Aboutalebi, an advisor to Rouhani.Trump said on Monday he would be willing to meet Iran’s leader without preconditions to discuss how to improve ties after he pulled the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal, saying, “If they want to meet, we’ll meet.” Iran denies any ‘possible’ talks with US
'Returning to nuclear deal can pave way for talks with US': Rouhani ally
"So they hanged him (Trump) on the wall. Now they want to have a mega OPEC, congratulations to President Trump, Russia and Saudi Arabia.”
OPEC governors represent their respective country on the organisation’s board of governors and are typically the second most senior person in a country's OPEC delegation after the oil minister.
“The longer-term solution, Mr President, is to support and facilitate capacity building in all countries, proportionate to their reserves of oil and gas. And we will remain the biggest opportunity,” Kazempour said.