dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

https:// m.huffpost.com/us/entry/7978588

The European Union’s especially active role in resolving the Iran nuclear crisis can be attributed to a wide range of long-standing economic and political linkages with the Iranian regime, that the EU was keen to preserve. In particular, the EU’s policy towards Iran was driven by its need to access Iranian energy reserves. Iran possesses the biggest combined energy deposits in the world, with the fourth largest oil reserves and second largest natural gas reserves. Prior to the institution of the EU oil embargo in 2012, Iran was the seventh largest provider of oil to the European Union. The EU also opted not to extend its sanctions to Iranian electricity exports, which allowed the Iranian natural gas industry to become a source of limited foreign currency influxes.

The 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea and subsequent souring of relations between the EU and Russia led to optimism amongst European policymakers that a nuclear deal with Iran would result in Iranian energy exports, compensating for disruptions in the flow of Russian gas. Iran’s rhetoric on this issue vacillated, however. On September 24, 2014, Rouhani declared that Iran could be a “secure energy center for Europe“. A little over a week later on October 4, however, Rouhani declared that Iran was not ready to replace Russia as a gas exporter as its extraction capacity was limited and Iran needed to satisfy domestic demand first. Despite Rouhani’s inconsistent rhetoric and a long history of Russian defense linkages to Iran, the notion that Iran could be an energy partner that could assist in containing Putin undoubtedly featured in the minds of European policymakers.

Along with our own, these people are stupid.

On a different note, perhaps my personal news yesterday is the lining I have sought for what seems 6 or more years, especially after last weeks revelation. Still it is "the time" to be alive and I know I would not have arrived had it not been down the path taken.