S. Africa boosts Iranian oil imports in MarchApril 30, 2012 - 19:21 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - South African crude oil imports from Iran rose to 3.37 billion rand in March from 2.8 billion the previous month, customs data showed on Monday, April 30 indicating Pretoria had not bowed to U.S. pressure to curb commercial links with Tehran, Reuters reported. The Revenue Service said Africa's biggest economy imported 505,908 tonnes of Iranian crude in March, up from 417,188 tonnes the previous month. South Africa has come under Western pressure to cut Iranian crude imports as part of sanctions designed to halt Tehran's suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons, although it has been unclear how diplomatically non-aligned Pretoria is responding. Imports declined between October and January, when they reached zero, but have been rising again since February. Senior energy and foreign ministry officials contradicted each other in March as to the status of Iranian imports. Iran has usually been South Africa's biggest crude supplier, accounting for a quarter of its oil imports. According to the March data, crude imports totalled 1.6 million tonnes, with Nigeria supplying 38 percent, Iran 32 percent, Saudi Arabia 22 percent and Angola the rest. The biggest South African buyer of Iranian crude used to be Engen, majority-owned by Malaysian state oil group Petronas, but the group said in April it had halted all imports of Iranian product. Petrochemicals group Sasol, which took 12,000 barrels of Iranian oil a day, also said it had found new suppliers but has not named them. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Armenia, Turkey discuss restoration of historic bridge The meeting took place on May 17 in Ashgabat on the sidelines of an international conference of ministers of culture. India wants Armenia’s proposals on use of Chabahar port India is expecting proposals from Armenia regarding the use of Chabahar port in Iran, Indian ambassador says. EU welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan “progress” The EU has welcomed “progress” made in the framework of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation process. Belarus opposition leader slams Lukashenko for Karabakh trip Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has harshly criticized the visit of Lukashenko to Karabakh. |