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JANUARY 21-27
Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi is proposing Cairo as a venue for the next round of talks with G5-plus one over nuclear program. Salehi said that Egypt has welcomed the offer and is now consulting with the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany to finalize it. His comments came after a Cabinet meeting in Teheran. Negotiations between Iran and the six powers fell apart in June 2012 in Moscow. The two sides have been in discussions to get the talks back on track, perhaps as soon as later this month. The US and its allies fear that Iran may ultimately be able to develop a nuclear weapon, a charge Teheran denies. 1
Meanwhile, according to reports, recently released data shows Iran’s crude oil exports to China soared to the second highest level in December 2012, despite U.S.-led sanctions against the Islamic Republic’s energy sector. According to a Reuters report, China imported nearly 593,390 barrels per day (bpd) of crude from Iran in December last year, up 3.6 percent from the preceding year and up 39 percent from November. For the full year 2012, the highest level of China’s crude imports from Iran stood at 633,000 bpd. Industry officials in China attributed the enhancement in Iran’s crude oil exports to improvement in shipment. The problems that used to cause delays have been overcome recently. The period of delay has become shorter and overall, less frequent. Iran is currently China’s third largest supplier of crude, providing Beijing with roughly 12 percent of its total annual oil consumption. According to another news report, China will soon start importing polyethylene made in Iran, which became possible after the Islamic Republic partially lifted a ban on the export of petrochemicals late last year. 2
- 1. “Iran proposes nuclear talks in Egypt,” Khaleej Times, January 23, 2013, at http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?xfile=/data/middlee...
- 2. “Iran proposes nuclear talks in Egypt,” Khaleej Times, January 23, 2013, at http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?xfile=/data/middlee...