Iran's Minister of Oil, Javad Owji, announced on Wednesday that the country will continue to export oil regardless of who becomes the next president of the United States, amid concerns that Iranian crude sales may be curtailed if Donald Trump wins the presidency. The official news agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran quoted Owji saying, "Whatever government comes to power in the United States will not be able to prevent Iran from exporting oil."
Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran in 2018 and reimposed sanctions that harmed its oil sector, causing production to drop to 2.1 million barrels per day. President Joe Biden took office in 2021, and since then, Iran has been able to increase production to 3.5 million barrels per day and triple its exports, according to Owji. Iran has expanded its oil trade with China.
Presidential elections in Iran are set for June 28 following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May. The U.S. presidential elections are scheduled for November 5.
