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Kenya Cancels Oil Deal with Iran after Being Warned of Sanctions |
5 July 2012Kenya on Wednesday cancelled a deal to import Iranian oil hours after the U.S. warned the country that it risked being penalized if it sees through the deal which would breach U.S. and European union sanctions, Washington Post reported quoted a government official as said.
The sanctions are meant to deprive funding for the Iranian government and what is believed to be an effort by Iran to build nuclear weapons.
Kenya's Energy Permanent Secretary Patrick Nyoike said Kenya had not signed an agreement but had a memorandum of understanding with Iran to import its oil and was complying with international sanctions on Iran.
"There is an embargo on Iranian oil and on that note it has been decided that the M.O.U. will be terminated," Nyoike said.
The U.S. announced in December that it would penalize banks that do oil deals with Iran, giving countries and the oil markets until the end of June to adjust.
A statement from the U.S. State Department said Wednesday that sanctions will be implemented fully, and they include sanctions against financial institutions from any country, without an exception, if they are found to conduct sanctionable transactions, including those with the Central Bank of Iran.
Nyoike had been quoted this week saying that Kenya has signed an agreement to buy millions of barrels of Iranian oil. He said he was not aware of the U.S. warning to Kenya about oil deals with Iran.
The U.S., which does not purchase Iranian oil, announced sanctions in December that would prohibit the world's banks from completing oil transactions with Iranian banks. That would make it more difficult for Iran to sell its crude on the open market. The oil in a single tanker can be worth $100 million. The U.S. sanctions took effect on June 28.
Europe announced in January it would prohibit imports of Iranian crude by July 1. It had been satisfying about 3 percent of its demand with oil from Iran. Europe also is prohibiting firms from insuring shipments of Iranian oil.
In recent years, Iran has exported 2.5 million barrels of oil per day, about 3 percent of world supplies. About 500,000 barrels have gone to Europe and most of the rest to China, India, Japan and South Korea. |
5 July 2012
Trend.Az
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