Mohammadjafar Qaimpanah, the executive deputy of Masoud Pezeshkian, told ISNA: “When we are sanctioned, it means we have to sell oil smuggled, and we are forced to hand oil over to traders or middlemen so that they can sell it; but it is unclear whether this oil will be sold or when the money will be returned.”

He added: “In these circumstances, questions such as the time of sale, how the money will be returned, and ensuring the safety of the shipment for loading arise, and these conditions can create a basis for business, even though the government is seeking to remove the sanctions so that there will no longer be any business.”