Iranian oil revenues fall 45% because of Western sanctionsJanuary 8, 2013 - 11:12 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Iranian oil revenues have fallen around 45% in the last nine months because of Western sanctions, a leading Iranian politician says. Gholam Reza Kateb, an MP on the national planning and budget committee, said the country's economy as a whole was in trouble. In a further sign of the crisis, the oil ministry has stopped selling fuel to some airlines over unpaid bills. Oil exports account for a majority of the Islamic republic's revenue. Mr Kateb said the steep export drop was revealed in a parliament report by Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi. "On the basis of the report, oil sales are down 40% and income has dropped 45% in the last nine months," Mr Kateb told the semi-official Isna news agency. In recent weeks, the oil minister has insisted that Iran has successfully bypassed oil sanctions. Meanwhile, a number of airlines have been forced to cancel their flights, BBC News reported. 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 | Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. Russia: Armenia’s frozen membership weakens CSTO position in Caucasus A Russian envoy said any step that could alienate the CSTO member states from each other is “deeply wrong”. |