Iran urges U.S. to "depoliticize" oil market

Iran's Petroleum Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said that the United States should not use oil market for its political ends, Financial Tribune daily reported on Thursday.

National flags of Iran and the United States. [File Photo: IC]

The energy industry should remain apolitical to prevent unwanted and unhelpful interference by "hostile regimes" like the administration in Washington, Zanganeh made the remarks in Moscow of Russia on Wednesday.

"We believe unilateralism will not deliver, and putting pressure on Iran is not the way to restore stability and calm in the region and in the world," he was quoted as saying.

Besides, the U.S. political use of energy pressures will put "security of energy supply at risk," he said.

Zanganeh called unilateral sanctions against Iran's oil sector by the United States as an example of the U.S. President Donald Trump's "economic terrorism against the Iranian people."

Following withdrawal from the Iranian landmark nuclear deal in 2018, Trump administration has imposed wide-scale sanctions against Iran's oil exports on which Iran heavily relies for its expenses.