Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 13
By Rahim Zamanov, Temkin Jafarov - Trend:
Iran's assets are not blocked in China, Iranian MP Hossein Sheykholeslam told Trend.
He said that Iranian Parliament speaker Ali Larijani has never said that China will finance Iranian projects to pay off Iran's blocked oil revenues in the country.
"Iranian government and parliament have constant relations with China," he said.'
Iranian media outlets reported on November 2 that Tehran and Beijing has reached an agreement to unfreeze Iran's oil revenues which are blocked in Chinese banks.
Iran's Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani arrived in Beijing on October 29 for a four-day visit to discuss major economic issues.
Concurrent to his visit, Iran's Vice President Mohammad Bagher Nobakht said $22 billion worth of the country's assets has been blocked in China.
Ali Mohammad Ahmadi, a member of the Majlis Planning and Budget Committee, on November 2 told the Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency that China will export capital equipment to Iran in exchange for the blocked amount of money. He also said that 40 joint projects have been introduced to Chinese investors.
Another Iranian MP, Hossein Sobhaninia, who accompanied Larijani in his trip to China, also told the Tasnim News Agency that the Chinese will finance $20 billion worth of Iranian projects in exchange for the blocked money.
There is no concrete figure for the amount of Iran's frozen assets abroad. Head of the Majlis Research Center Kazem Jalali said on August 2, 2013 that some $60 billion worth of Iranian assets were blocked by foreign banks.
In turn, AP reported on October 18, 2013 that Iran's assets are estimated to be between $50 billion to $75 billion.
Reportedly, also about $15 billion of Iran's petrodollars are reportedly frozen in India, Japan and the South Korea.
"Iranian parliament should approve all international contracts and agreements, so the government has close relations with parliament in regards to negotiations with the US," he said.
Hossein Sheykholeslam further rejected establishment of any friendly relations between the two countries' parliaments.
"The US congress is heavily under the influence of Zionists," he said, adding that Iran's parliament will never take the first step to contact the US congress.
Hwoever, Sheykholeslam added that if moderate American senators take the first step forward, Iran's parliament may consider establishing relations.
On Jan. 12, Reuters reported citing U.S. president Barack Obama as saying that the U.S. and other nations would begin to give Iran "modest relief" on economic sanctions as long as Iran lives up to its end of an agreement.
In December, the White House released a statement which said Obama would veto a new Iran sanctions bill, if it's passed. The mentioned bill calls for "diplomatic, military and economic support" to Israel in case Tel Aviv decides to launch an attack against Iran's nuclear energy program.
The U.S. and its Western allies suspect Iran of developing a nuclear weapon - something that Iran denies.
The Islamic Republic has on numerous occasions stated that it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons, using nuclear energy for medical researches instead.
Edited by: Saeed Isayev
