A recent report in Bloomberg has collected and analyzed five years of satellite images monitoring the South China Sea off Malaysia to detail something which should come as no surprise: Iran and China’s sanction-busting activity regarding Iranian oil exports has been going strong.
According to Companies House’ records, Nest Wise’s business includes the sale of petroleum and petroleum products, fuels, ores, metals and industrial chemicals. The filings also show that during the London entity’s incorporation, Dubai-based Nest Wise Petroleum LLC was the sole shareholder listed.
The U.S. federal government is considering ways of squeezing Iranian oil exports amid heightened Middle East tension following Tehran’s vow to avenge the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
The head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) said that the country sold as much as $15.7 billion worth of crude oil in the first four months of this year 1403 in the Iranian calendar.
Iran’s Oil Minister Javad Owji has claimed a major gas import deal with Russia as the country suffers from serious power shortages, without saying how the gas can reach Iran.
The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last week between Russian state gas giant Gazprom and the Iranian National Gas Company (NIGC) to begin direct transfers of gas from Russia to Iran “will act as a revolution in the energy and industry scene of the region”, according to Iran’s Petroleum Minister, Javad Owji. Indeed, this MoU and the others that preceded it can be seen as a major stepping stone to enabling the two countries to implement their long-held plan to be the core participants in a global cartel for gas suppliers in the same mold as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for oil suppliers.
The Mansuriya field, holds an estimated 4.5 trillion standard cubic feet of gas and is expected to produce around 300 million scf per day of gas at its peak.
For China, the location of the Mansuriya gas field fits perfectly into the vast network of oil and gas sites in Iraq.
According to industry figures, more than a third of all Iraq’s proven oil and gas reserves and over two-thirds of its current production are managed by Chinese companies.
A US official has said that Iranian oil is being transported through Malaysia to China.
Crude oil prices began the week with a loss as fears of an escalation between Iran and Israel dissipated.
Oil prices are likely to remain at current highs as geopolitical risk factors increase, but the next significant price jump would likely come if Israel attacks Iran’s energy facilities, said Greg Sharenow, head of the commodity portfolio management group at Pacific Investment Management Co LLC.