Russia can use Iran experience to evade sanctions: report

The CNN has published a report on how Russia can copy or is already using Iran's experience to circumvent and neutralize the western sanctions.

The piece has conducted several interviews with commentators and Iran experts on the ways Tehran is using to sell its crude oil in the world markets with Washingon can do anything.

It quotes the Russian transport minister Vitaly Savelyev as saying that his country is “studying the case of Iran” to help it deal with sanctions on maintenance and spare parts.

The report also cites different reports by Reuters and Bloomberg to say that Iran has in the past hidden millions of oil barrels off little-known ports in Asia to escape Western sanctions. Barrel transfers in the dead of night from one vessel to another allowed Iran to masquerade under different flags, selling its oil to keen Asian buyers without catching the eye of Western monitors.

CNN further claims that Russia is already taking a similar route, its oil now rebranded as “Latvian blend” — a 49.99%-Russian mix that is blended with other oil and labelled Latvian. The crude has been bought by UK-based oil and gas company Shell, Bloomberg reported.

It went on to cite analysts' remarks to bear witness to its claim that financially, Iran has built a shadowy network that uses front companies and circuitous transactions to launder money and dodge sanctions, which some believe may be offered for Russian use.

Front companies are a tactic that Russia would be keen to learn from, it concluded.

Iran's economy is recovering from the sanctions and the World Bank has recently predicted that the inflation rate will drop in Iran next year while the economy will witness a growth of more than 3.5%

Iran has been holding negotiations with the Western powers and Russia and China in Vienna known as the Vienna talks to revive the JCPOA and make the other parties remove the illegitimate sanctions that the previous US administration Donald Trump imposed after its unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal.

The Vienna talks have been paused for the time being at the suggestion of the EU foreign policy chief, and the negotiators have returned to their respective capitals for political consultations.

Almost all countries participating in the talks want the talks to be concluded more quickly, but reaching a final agreement awaits US political decisions on a few remaining key issues which are related to the removal of the sanctions on Iran.

Iran says that Washington has not shown any resolve to remove the sanctions on Tehran in practice to revive the JCPOA.

KI