Iran has said it continues to import fuel from Reliance Industries (RIL), a statement that flies in the face of the claims by the Mukesh Ambani-controlled company that it had, since last year, stopped selling gasoline to the Islamic nation in an apparent bid to escape US sanctions.
“From our point of view, Reliance stopping gasoline exports to Iran is not correct,” Iranian Ambassador to India Syed Mehdi Nabizadeh said in the national capital.
Reliance, till 2008, sold mostly gasoline (petrol) to Iran, and late last year sources close to the company claimed that since April 2009 it had completely stopped shipments from its twin refineries in Jamnagar, Gujarat, to the country.
Meanwhile, an RIL spokesperson said: “From May 2009, Reliance Industries Ltd stopped exports of refined products to Iran and our contract with the buyers explicitly prohibits Iran as a destination for any cargo loaded at Jamnagar.”
The US is seeking to restrict gasoline supplies from refiners to Iran over its suspected nuclear weapons programme.
Some US Senators have proposed giving President Barack Obama the authority to impose sanctions against companies supplying gasoline to Iran.
“All I can say is, it (fuel imports from Reliance) has not stopped,” Nabizadeh said.
Asked if Reliance was directly selling fuel to Iran or petrol cargoes sold to traders were being redirected from ports such as Dubai after minor blending, he said: “You know that better than me. We continue to get the fuel (from Reliance).” The statement by Nabizadeh comes on the back of similar comments by National Iranian Oil Company Managing Director Seifollah Jashnsaz.
“Without specifying any particular company, I can say we import gasoline and gas oil from India,” he had said on his visit to New Delhi in November last year.
When asked if Reliance was one of the suppliers, he had said: “The answer is positive.”
