EIA: Iran’s oil earning reaches $59bn
Press TV--Crude export of Iran, the world’s fourth-largest oil exporter, has stood at around $59 billion in the first 10 months of 2010, official US data show.
The figures released by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Sunday that the 12-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) exported nearly around $613 billion from January to October.
The report added that OPEC’s crude export earnings increased by nearly $161 billion during this period.
OPEC, which pumps just under 40 percent of the global crude supply, earned around $452 billion in the first 10 months of 2009, the EIA said.
“The 10-month income this year is already way above the total 2009 earnings of nearly $571 billion and they could swell to about $748 billion by the end of this year, nearly $177 billion above the 2009 income,” the report added.
The oil earning of “Iran, the second largest earner in OPEC, stood at nearly $59 billion against $43 billion in the same period,” the EIA’s figures showed.
The EIA of the US Department of Energy also predicted average oil prices of $75 for this year compared with nearly $60 in 2009.
“Crude prices could swell above $80 in 2011 because of stronger demand on the back of global economic recovery and this is expected to boost OPEC’s income to $840 billion,” according to the EIA.
Iran’s revenue from oil exports reached $69.1 billion in 2009 by exporting approximately 3.8 million barrels per day.
Iran to continue supports for Iraq’s stability, progress: Ahmadinejad
Xinhua-- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that his country would continue to support Iraq’s stability and progress, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported on Sunday.
In a phone conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al- Maliki on Saturday night, Ahmadinejad expressed his congratulations on an agreement to form a new Iraqi government.
"Formation of new government is a great victory for Iraqi government, parliament, nation and political groups," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to deepen ties with the neighboring and friendly country of Iraq," Ahmadinejad said.
Al-Maliki appreciated the Islamic Republic’s assistance to Iraq and his government, saying that "expanding ties with Iran is also a demand from Iraq," according to ISNA.
"Important steps will be taken for developing Iraqi’s welfare through introducing cabinet members in near future," the report quoted al-Maliki as saying.
The eight-month political deadlock in Iraq finally ended Wednesday after vying blocs nailed a power-sharing deal. On Friday, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani assigned incumbent Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to form the next government.
Difficulty on Iran nuclear talks is a bad omen, diplomats warn
Washington Post--For four months, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Iranian negotiator Saeed Jalili traded letters trying to pin down a time and place for Iran to meet with a group of powerful countries concerned about its nuclear program. Late last week, they appeared to have settled on a start date: Dec. 5.
But they have yet to agree on a venue, a length for the talks or the subject. Iran says it is willing to talk about everything but its uranium enrichment program. The other countries - the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany - want to talk mostly about the nuclear program.
The difficulty in restarting the talks, which have been on hold for more than a year, doesn’t bode well, analysts and diplomats say.
The latest round of U.N. Security Council sanctions, which by all accounts have been more crippling than anticipated, was intended to force Tehran to begin negotiating seriously about its nuclear program. But Iranian officials, insisting that the program is for peaceful energy purposes, have given little indication they are interested in negotiating.
U.S. officials say Iran’s well-documented problems with its uranium enrichment program this year have greatly reduced concerns that Iran is on the brink of producing a nuclear weapon, giving extra time to strike a deal.
Iran is enriching uranium with a Pakistani version of a half-century-old Dutch design, and "the Iranians now have discovered that it’s a very poor machine," a senior administration official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. "It’s prone to breaking down. They’ve had hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of these things break down."
The enrichment program apparently plateaued at just under 4,000 active centrifuges, he added. "They could install a lot more if they wanted to, but they’ve decided that this machine is a loser, so that’s why they stopped," he said, adding that the Iranians appear to have had little success with a more advanced design. Continued…
Formation of national resistance front vital: politician
Tehran Times -- Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaii said on Saturday that establishing a ‘united front of national resistance’ is the greatest need of the country.
Rezaii made the remarks in a comment on the recent meeting between President Ahmadinejad and a number of principlists in which a three-member committee was formed to promote unity among the principlists.
“We regard every move in line with promoting unity in the society as positive, and the need for national coherence to counter threats under the present condition is keenly felt,” Rezaii told reporters on the sidelines of the Expediency Council session.
“Today the most significant need of the country is to establish a united front of national resistance … (in order) to turn the sanctions into an opportunity,” said Rezzaii.
Rezaii further noted that so far, the Iranian government and nation have effectively countered the sanctions.
“However, this is not sufficient and we must put the words into actions,” added Rezaii, a former presidential candidate.
He added hardliners in the U.S. may take tougher measures against Iran in the future
US has no right to tell Iran what to do in nuclear issue: Retired Navy officer
IRNA– An expert in politico-military issues said that peaceful use of nuclear energy is an indisputable right of Iran and the US has no right to tell Iran what to do in nuclear energy issue.
Retired US Navy officer Fernando D’Amato told IRNA here that Iranians are trying to access something which the US has for tens of years.
He added that he thinks Iran is not looking for nuclear weapons and International Atomic Energy Agency documents are witness to the claim.
D’Amato continued if the White House officials are concerned about nuclear weapons, why do they keep silent against India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea and just are making obstacles in Iran use of peaceful nuclear energy.
The retired officer noted that he believes the US is supporting Israel too much.
Referring to the Palestinian situation and Washington slogans for implementation of peace in the Middle East, D’Amato said that US should let the Palestinians have their own government and US has let Israel influence the US foreign policy too much.
He also referred to the US government abuse of September 11 issue and said that under this pretext, US invaded Iraq and Afghanistan to arrest al-Qaeda members.
’While 15 persons of hijackers were citizens of Saudi Arabia and were financed by Saudi too and Osama bin Laden was also a Saudi citizen, so why did the US not attack Saudi Arabia? Instead we sold 60 billion dollars arsenals to the country,’ he said.
The retired Navy officer stressed that President Obama should finish war in Iraq and Afghanistan and withdraw forces from these two countries.
He also mentioned sad situation of the US military retired personnel, especially those who have returned from Vietnam.
D’Amato added that he has been suffering from “Orange Agent” in Vietnam and after coming back home, he had heart attack and then Diabetes and five symptoms of Orange Agent , but he is not able to use facilities of veteran office .
’Two million others, like me who served military in Vietnam, are not able to use government assistance fund.’