Iran has denied the latest U.S. allegations that National Iranian Oil Company is connected to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, insisting that the oil company is guided only by “the economic policies of the government and the oil industry.”
A new U.S. Treasury report released Monday links National Iranian Oil Company to the IRGC, which could pave the way for further sanctions against Iran’s oil industry.
A spokesman for the National Iranian Oil Company dismissed the allegations today as “baseless claims.”
The Mehr News Agency reports that Alireza Nikzad stressed there is no connection between the country’s military institutions and National Iranian Oil Company or its Oil Ministry.
Asked whether the accusations could spring from the fact that Oil Minister Rostam Ghassemi used to be the head of the IRGC’s Khatam-ol-Anbia Construction Base, he said: “Shuffling top managers in various governmental and non-governmental position is very natural.”
“After leaving his position as head of Khatam-ol-Anbia Construction Base, the Oil Minister has no connections with that company,” Nikzad added.
The U.S. Treasury report claims the IRGC is the main actor in the Iranian economy and controls many of its financial and economic sectors, including the oil, construction and banking sectors.
