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Putin Praises Ties With Iran, Khamenei Wants Oil Weapon Used
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(Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Karrazi
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MOSCOW, April 5 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the long-standing relationship with Tehran as Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Friday on Islamic oil-producing countries to suspend their exports to "pro-Israel" Western states, news agencies reported.
"Iran is a country which has long-standing traditional ties with Russia," Putin said as he welcomed Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi Friday.
He added that he "warmly" remembered his talks in Moscow with Iranian President Mohammad Khatami in March last year, when the two men signed a series of nuclear and military accords, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
In Tehran, earlier , thousands of Iranians demonstrated against Israel after Khamenei called on Islamic oil producers to suspend deliveries to countries linked to Israel.
Khamenei called on Islamic oil-producing countries to suspend their exports to Western countries and those that have relations with Israel "for a symbolic period of one month.
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| Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei. |
"I call on all Arab and Islamic oil-producing countries to suspend their exports to the West and countries who have relations with Israel for a symbolic period of one month," Khamenei said in a Friday prayer sermon to thousands at Tehran University.
"The oil belongs to the peoples and can be a weapon against the West and those countries who support the savage regime of Israel," said Khamenei, the top official in the Islamic republic.
Demonstrators, some carrying banners saying "Israel commits crimes and America supports it," marched from Tehran University to the capital's central Palestine Square following Friday prayers led by Khamenei.
In a speech to the rally, reformist MP Ali Akhbar Mohtashemi denounced what he called Washington's "blind support" for "Sharon the criminal," a reference to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Repeatedly interrupted by cries of "death to America, Israel, Bush and Sharon," Mohtashemi called on Islamic countries to "mobilize in support of the Intifada" .
The Palestinian representative in Tehran, Salah Zarafi, denounced Israel's siege of leader Yasser Arafat in the West Bank city of Ramallah and thanked Iran for supporting his people's "anti-Israel battle."
In a quick reaction to Iran’s call for oil embargo, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) dismissed the idea as ‘unrealistic’.
The mainly Arab organization ruled out hiking its output to stem rising prices before the next OPEC meeting on June 26.
"An oil embargo goes against the basic and primary objective of OPEC, i.e. stability of the market and security of oil supplies," OPEC Secretary General Ali Rodriguez told AFP through his spokesman.
"OPEC has not received anything official from any country, Iran, Iraq, or any member country. We only rely on what we have heard on the news wires. Nothing has been submitted to the organization regarding this proposal," he said.
On Thursday, OPEC - whose members produce 40% of the world's crude supply - insisted it would not use oil as an economic weapon, reported BBC’s online news service.
Iran is an important member of the cartel but is generally not thought to have as much influence as Saudi Arabia.
Khamanei said that the success of such a scheme would depend on the co-operation of all oil-producing countries in the Middle East.
"If they [the Western countries] do not receive oil their factories will come to a halt. This will shake the world," he said, evoking memories of the 1973 oil crisis.
A 1973 embargo by OPEC members caused a severe oil shock and widespread economic chaos around the world.
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