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Iran Dumps Dollar In Favour Of Euro For Crude Oil Trade

Iran wants euro payment for new and outstanding oil sales in a bid to cut reliance on the US dollar. After the removal of sanctions Tehran also plans to recover some of its previously frozen assets in euros. Sputnik news reports: Iran has turned away from the US dollar in oil trade and is denominating in euros all new and outstanding oil contracts with companies, including French oil and gas giant Total, Spanish refiner Cepsa and Litasco, the trading arm of Russia’s Lukoil, a source at National Iranian Oil Co told Reuters. “In our invoices we mention a clause that buyers of our oil will have to pay in euros, considering the exchange rate versus the dollar around the time of delivery,” the source said. Lukoil and Total declined to comment, and Cepsa did not respond to a request to comment. Iran has also told its trading partners who owe it billions of dollars that it wants to be paid in euros rather than US dollars. The source explained that Iran’s central bank adopted a policy to carry out foreign trade in euros while the country was under sanctions. “Iran shifted to the euro and cancelled trade in dollars because [...]