Iran denies crude oil to Greece

Iran has refused to deliver oil to Greece in Persian Gulf, the local Fars news agency reported on Sunday. The Islamic republic refused to deliver a shipment of 500,000 barrels of crude oil to one of the refineries in Greece, according to Fars. "Oil tankers which had moved to the shipment place to transfer 500,000 barrels of Iranian oil to one of the refineries in Greece went back barehanded as Iran refused to deliver the shipment," said Fars without providing further details including the time of the crude denial. Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said last Tuesday that Iran would cut its oil exports to the European Union (EU) countries if its conditions were not met. "Those (EU) countries which do not finalize long-term oil- purchase contracts with Iran will be treated like Britain and France," Qasemi said referring to its newly launched oil sales ban to the two EU powers. Iran's Deputy Oil Minister Ahmad Qalebani said last Monday that the Islamic republic would possibly cut its oil exports to six other European countries, including Portugal, Spain, Greece, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. Iran announced last week that it had stopped oil exports to British and French companies and called on other EU buyers to extend their oil contracts with Iran to two to five years. Qalebani also said that "for sure, if the hostile measures of some other European countries are continued, the oil exports to these countries will be stopped." If the EU states stop "the hostile measures," Iran was ready to renew its oil contracts with those countries, said Qalebani, who is also managing director of National Iranian Oil Company.