Bloomberg: Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi has ordered five European companies, including Royal Dutch Shell Plc, to be put on a blacklist for failing to meet their commitments in the nation’s refinery projects, Mehr reported. Bloomberg
By Ladane Nasseri
Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi has ordered five European companies, including Royal Dutch Shell Plc, to be put on a blacklist for failing to meet their commitments in the nation’s refinery projects, Mehr reported.
Shell and UOP LLC, a unit of U.S.-based Honeywell International Inc., were among the companies named in the report published today by the state-run news agency.
Qasemi “ordered the National Iranian Oil Products Refining and Distribution Co. to halt foreign purchases of license in the country’s refinery projects at a time of increasing sanctions and lack of commitment of foreign companies,” according to the news agency.
‘These companies will have no role in the future in Iran’s oil and gas industries,” Mehr said, citing the refiner.
Iran is in conflict with western countries over accusations that it is using its nuclear program as a cover for developing weapons, a charge the government denies. European Union foreign ministers agreed on Jan. 23 to ban Iranian crude oil imports starting in July and freeze the assets of the country’s central bank, measures that come in addition to previous United Nations, U.S. and EU sanctions.