Iranian oil chief denies report of oil sales contract authorized by minister
National Iranian Oil Company CEO Hamid Bord says oil sales follow established regulations and oversight requirements.
National Iranian Oil Company CEO Hamid Bord denied media reports alleging that the company had authorized an oil-sales contract with a person identified as “Aghayari.” He said the company conducts oil sales under defined regulations and oversight requirements, while declining to discuss unspecified sanctions-evasion projects publicly.
TEHRAN — Hamid Bord, chief executive of the National Iranian Oil Company, has denied reports that the company signed an oil-sales contract with a person identified as “Aghayari” under authorization from the oil minister.
According to IRNA, citing Iran’s Oil Ministry, Bord said the reports had recently circulated in some media outlets and attributed the information to the Iranian Labour News Agency, or ILNA. He rejected the report, saying the National Iranian Oil Company sells oil under defined rules, regulations and procedures, while observing the requirements of supervisory institutions.
Bord said the issue was not unprecedented and referred to unspecified projects intended to circumvent sanctions. He said details of such projects did not need to be discussed publicly or in the media, arguing that their disclosure could serve Iran’s adversaries.
He called on media professionals to pursue information about oil sales through the relevant official channels. Bord also said the company is accountable to judicial and supervisory authorities and that anyone with concerns or questions could refer to those bodies.
Describing information related to oil sales as highly sensitive, Bord compared it to classified national and military information and urged media outlets to take that sensitivity into account.