The government of Iran denied reports that it is importing wheat from the United States for the first time in nearly 30 years, according to Iran's Press TV.
"We purchase wheat from Canada and some European countries, but Iran has not had any direct wheat imports from the U.S.,” Commerce Minister Masoud Mirkazemi told an Iranian news agency Sunday.
The denial came in response to media reports last week based on U.S. Agricultural statisitics that Iran resumed buying American wheat this summer following months of drought that have reduced that country's wheat crop by a third, from 15 million to 10 million tons.
Iran has directly purchased more than 1 million tons of U.S. hard red winter wheat since the marketing year began June 1, according to the Wall Street Journal. Following a decades-long hiatus, Iran is now one of the world's largest importers of U.S. wheat.
Iran ceased U.S. wheat imports in the 1981-1982 marketing year, following a revolution in 1979 that damaged relations and ended most diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Iran experts say the new policy shift was made out of necessity, as the country continues to struggle with the U.S. over its nuclear program, which Washington says is being used to develop weapons. Tehran denies those claims saying it is being used only to generate electricity.
State Department spokesman Rob McInturff reportedly said that the exports show the U.S.'s openness to the Iranian people, even as it imposes trade sanctions against the Iranian regime, which do not bar agricultural and medical trade between the countries.
"We have a longstanding policy ... of engaging the Iranian people on the one hand while sanctioning the Iranian government on the other," Mr. McInturff told the Journal.
In years past Iran has purchased wheat from Canada, Australia and the European Union, but supplies are short in those countries and the U.S. winter-wheat harvest is nearly complete, the Journal reported.
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I thought we had Iran under sanctions???
"We purchase wheat from Canada and some European countries, but Iran has not had any direct wheat imports from the U.S.,” Commerce Minister Masoud Mirkazemi told an Iranian news agency Sunday.
The denial came in response to media reports last week based on U.S. Agricultural statisitics that Iran resumed buying American wheat this summer following months of drought that have reduced that country's wheat crop by a third, from 15 million to 10 million tons.
Iran has directly purchased more than 1 million tons of U.S. hard red winter wheat since the marketing year began June 1, according to the Wall Street Journal. Following a decades-long hiatus, Iran is now one of the world's largest importers of U.S. wheat.
Iran ceased U.S. wheat imports in the 1981-1982 marketing year, following a revolution in 1979 that damaged relations and ended most diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Iran experts say the new policy shift was made out of necessity, as the country continues to struggle with the U.S. over its nuclear program, which Washington says is being used to develop weapons. Tehran denies those claims saying it is being used only to generate electricity.
State Department spokesman Rob McInturff reportedly said that the exports show the U.S.'s openness to the Iranian people, even as it imposes trade sanctions against the Iranian regime, which do not bar agricultural and medical trade between the countries.
"We have a longstanding policy ... of engaging the Iranian people on the one hand while sanctioning the Iranian government on the other," Mr. McInturff told the Journal.
In years past Iran has purchased wheat from Canada, Australia and the European Union, but supplies are short in those countries and the U.S. winter-wheat harvest is nearly complete, the Journal reported.
_______________________________________________________
I thought we had Iran under sanctions???