Top aide to Khamenei says Putin meeting ‘very constructive’

ANKARA: The top adviser to Iran´s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday had been “very constructive and friendly” and that Moscow would invest in the Iranian oil sector.

“Our leader (Khamenei) values improving ties with Russia as strategic partner . . . This path will continue,” the adviser, Ali Akbar Velayati, told Iranian state television from Moscow.

The Kremlin said Putin and Velayati discussed the situation in Syria and bilateral relations and Velayati had given Putin messages from Khamenei and from Iran´s president Hassan Rouhani. “Putin reiterated that Russia rejects America´s decision to impose sanctions on Iran . . . He said Russia will stand by Iran and will defend Tehran´s rights,” Velayati said. Under the 2015 agreement, Iran strictly limited uranium enrichment capacity to satisfy the powers that it could not be used to develop atomic bombs.

In exchange, Iran received relief from sanctions. US officials said in June they would push countries to reduce their Iranian oil imports to zero. However, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday that Washington would consider requests from some countries to be exempted from sanctions it will put in effect in Nov. 4.

China and India are among the largest importers of Iran’s oil, as well as Turkey and Iraq. In May, India´s oil ministry asked refiners to prepare to limit imports of Iranian oil while Turkey said had no intention to halt its oil imports from Iran. Tehran has been pushing hard to hold output steady amid US sanctions that are expected to hit its exports, pressuring other sigNatories of the deal to come up with a package of economic measures to salvage the deal. “Putin said that Russia is prepared to continue its oil investment in Iran at the level of $50 billion. It means Russia is ready to invest this amount in Iran´s oil sector,” Velayati said.

“This is an important amount that can compensate for those companies that have left Iran (amid US sanctions fear),” Velayati said, in a reference to a number of firms, wary of US sanctions, that have already said they plan to pull out of Iran´s market.