(Photo : The Iranian Subway)

A senior Iranian official says on July 29^th, because of economic sanctions from outside, Iran has decided to order 315 subway cars from China in place of payment for crude oil.

Like Us on Facebook

Iranian tough-line website "Tasnimnews" quoted Amir Jafarpour's words on Monday. Amir Jafarpour is the deputy head of the Transportation and Fuel Management Committee in Iran. He said due to sanctions against Iran from outside, billions of dollars of payments from crude oil exports to China could not be transferred to Iran. So Iran decides to order 315 subway cars from China in exchange. The system of barter is used by Iran to solve the problem of funds transfer under sanctions.

Amir Jafarpour claimed that China would like to build approximately 5,000 kilometers of railway for Iran to offset the cost of crude oil. But as the cost of building the railway is extremely high, Iran rejected the proposal.

Amir Jafarpour said those ordered subway cars would be used in Isfahan, Shiraz and Tabriz cities' subways. Iranian subways were built in the 1990s. Take Tehran Metro as an example, it is a rapid transit system serving Tehran, the capital of Iran. The system consists of four operational lines, with construction begun on a further two lines in 2007. The line uses standard gauge and is partly underground. Tehran Metro was designed and constructed by the Chinese company. And local government and people speak highly of the high quality of the Tehran Metro.

Over the years, the U.S. and its allies have imposed oil and banking sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program. Since 1979, the United States has led international efforts to use sanctions to influence Iran's policies, including Iran's uranium enrichment program, which Western governments fear is intended for developing the capability to produce nuclear weapons. Iran counters that its nuclear program is for medical purposes, as well as generating electricity. Since nuclear talks between Iran and Western governments have largely failed, new proposals to enforce stronger economic sanctions on Iran are currently in progress.