Rouhani says Iran will export crude oil despite US pressure

TEHRAN, Iran – President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday that Iran will continue exporting crude oil despite U.S. efforts to stop it through sanctions.

“We will continue by all means to both produce and export” oil, Rouhani said in remarks broadcast on state TV. “Oil is in the frontline of confrontation and resistance.”

The U.S. wants to reduce Iran’s oil exports effectively to zero with renewed sanctions in November, after pulling out of the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in May.

It’s unclear, however, how much other countries will cut back on Iranian oil imports. Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, which also signed the nuclear deal, opposed the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from it. European countries are trying to salvage the landmark accord.