Iran: Resuming Relations with Saudi Arabia Shows Effectiveness of Diplomacy

UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran on Monday (EPA)
UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran on Monday (EPA)
TT
20

Iran: Resuming Relations with Saudi Arabia Shows Effectiveness of Diplomacy

UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran on Monday (EPA)
UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran on Monday (EPA)

After the recent announcement of the rapprochement with Saudi Arabia, Iran is hailing diplomacy as an effective solution to settle disputes.

“The resumption of political relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia shows the effectiveness and success of diplomacy as a solution to settle differences,” said Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani.

“Fortunately, with the positive atmosphere that we are witnessing in the region, this positive development [the deal with Saudi Arabia] can happen in connection with other regional countries as well, including Bahrain,” he added.

In support of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain had severed its relations with Tehran after an attack on the Saudi embassy in January 2016.

According to Kanaani, Iran hopes to resume relations with Bahrain after the rapprochement between Tehran and Riyadh.

“We should further trust the path of diplomacy and take steps in this direction,” he explained.

When asked on whether the Yemeni crisis was raised during negotiations with Saudi Arabia, Kanaani dodged the question and said that talks dealt with bilateral relations.

“Iran will not conduct proxy negotiations on behalf of any country, unless it is asked to play a positive role in an issue,” he explained.

Furthermore, Kanaani said Iran is ready to play a “positive” role in meeting the UN’s request to resolve the crisis in Yemen.

Kanaani’s comment had followed another question about talks that UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg held with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran on Monday.

Fadahossein Maleki, a member of the Iranian parliament's influential committee on national security and foreign policy, told state-owned “ISNA” that “the closer Iran gets to the neighboring countries and the region, the more we can solve our problems with their help.”

“This agreement is a good omen. We look forward to greater steps to be taken to remove obstacles,” added Maleki.



US Imposes Iran-Related Sanctions on Third China ‘Teapot’ Refinery, Port Terminal

 A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. (Reuters)
A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. (Reuters)
TT
20

US Imposes Iran-Related Sanctions on Third China ‘Teapot’ Refinery, Port Terminal

 A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. (Reuters)
A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on a third Chinese independent - or "teapot" - oil refinery, and port terminal operators in China for purchases of Iranian oil.

The US Treasury designated the Hebei Xinhai Chemical Group refinery and three companies for operating a terminal at Dongying Port in Shandong Province. It said they had purchased or facilitated the delivery of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Iranian oil.

It was the latest independent Chinese refinery targeted by the Trump administration after it re-imposed a policy of "maximum pressure" that aims to cut off Iran's export revenue to pressure Tehran into a deal to curb its nuclear program and stop the funding of militant groups across the Middle East.

"So long as Iran attempts to generate oil revenues to fund its destabilizing activities, the United States will hold both Iran and all its partners in sanctions evasion accountable," the US Treasury said in a statement.

Previous sanctions imposed on two small Chinese refiners for buying Iranian oil have created difficulties in receiving oil, leading them to halt purchases of crude and sell product under other names, sources familiar with the matter said.

Those sanctions have also begun to deter other, larger independent Chinese refiners from buying Iranian crude, three of the sources said.

Iran's UN mission in New York and China's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The companies Treasury designated for operating the port terminal were Baogang (Dongying Donggang) Logistics and Warehousing Co, Ltd, Shandong Jingang Port Co, Ltd, and Shandong Baogang International Port Co, Ltd.

Treasury said the companies operate a terminal in Dongying Port that has received more than one million barrels of Iranian oil from shadow fleet tankers.

The sanctions block US assets of those designated and prevent Americans from doing business with them.