Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called on Islamic oil-producing countries to suspend their exports to "pro-Israel" western states, the BBC reported on Friday.
"Arab governments can use oil as a weapon. They can cut off the flow of oil to all the countries which have good ties with Israel," Khamenei said in a sermon during the Friday Prayers in Tehran.
Khamenei said that exports should be stopped "for a symbolic period of one month."
Iran is the second largest exporter of oil from the Middle East and a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Iraq has previously also called for such an embargo, but Saudi Arabia and Kuwait both rejected the idea.
On Thursday, OPEC - the cartel that controls 40% of the world's crude supply - said it wouldn't use oil as an economic weapon.
The Iranian cabinet in a meeting presided over by President Mohammad Khatami on Wednesday called on international community to take stance against the Israel’s “crimes” in
Palestine.
The call was made after the presentation of a report to the cabinet about the critical situation the Israeli military forces have created for the Palestinians through heavy attacks against the civilian targets. The cabinet ministers strongly condemned the Israeli atrocities against Palestinians and voiced support for the liberation of Palestine. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
