A plan by the United States to cut Iran's oil production to zero is a "fantasy", Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday during his European tour to rally support for the 2015 nuclear deal.

Washington has said it wants to pressure Iran to change its behaviour by taking away all revenue Tehran generates from crude sales, part of the confrontational approach adopted by President Donald Trump, who pulled out of the historic nuclear pact in May.

"These are exaggerated statements that can never be implemented," Rouhani told reporters in Bern, after holding talks with Swiss authorities on a range of issues, including the nuclear deal.

"Such a scenario would mean the US was imposing its imperialist policy in flagrant violation of international law," he said.

"This is really a baseless fantasy," he added, condemning an "unjust" scenario in which all oil producers are allowed to export crude except Iran.

Washington insists the world has enough spare oil capacity to replace Iranian crude, and Trump has said that he has persuaded Saudi Arabia to balance the market by boosting its own production.

- 'Unparallelled success' -

The international community still overwhelmingly backs the nuclear deal, which opened new opportunities to deepen economic relations with Iran.

But many believe nations will have to sever ties once Washington reimposes sanctions -- to avoid losing access to US markets and financing.

Swiss President Alain Berset, speaking next to Rouhani, called the nuclear deal "an unparallelled success" that needed to be preserved.

Switzerland -- where significant parts of the pact known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action were negotiated -- will work to ensure that future US sanctions do not target any humanitarian goods, Bern said in a statement.

Rouhani said the "indiscriminate sanctions imposed against a great nation was the greatest violation of human rights imaginable."

The nuclear deal was signed in Vienna, where Rouhani will hold further talks on Wednesday.

Then on Friday in the Austrian capital, Iran's foreign minister will meet the top envoys from the five powers still party to the JCPOA -- Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- according to Iranian state media.

The Iranian president reiterated Tehran's position that it would remain committed to the JCPOA so long as the country can enjoy its "benefits".

"The nuclear agreement was truly an important achievement and it is in the interest of the world that this agreement be preserved for international peace," Rouhani said.

The least cordial moment during the public appearance by the two leaders concerned Israel.

Berset noted that in bilateral talks he had underscored "the need to recognise the state of Israel," prompting a reply from Rouhani that Tehran viewed "the Zionist regime as an illegitimate regime," responsible for fostering conflict in the region.

Separately, the two nations inked deals on future cooperation in the health and science sectors.

Related Links
All About Oil and Gas News at OilGasDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Shah Deniz sets cornerstone for European energy security
Washington DC (UPI) Jul 02, 2018
The start of the second phase of the Shah Deniz gas field off the coast of Azerbaijan sets a cornerstone for European energy security, an analyst said. British energy company BP said Monday its partners at the Shah Deniz field in the Caspian Sea marked the start of operations with the first commercial gas delivery to Turkey. Heralded as BP's largest gas discovery when it was announced in 1999, the first phase of Shah Deniz started sending gas to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey in 2006. Th ... read more