Iran ready to lend oil expertise, supplies to Zimbabwe

Oil Minister Masoud Mir-Kazemi has said that Iran is prepared to supply Zimbabwe with crude oil and refurbish its refineries.

Mir-Kazemi made the remarks in a Tuesday meeting with Zimbabwean Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Didymus Mutasa in Tehran.

“Zimbabwe is eager to utilize Iran’s expertise for refurbishing of one of its refineries and to buy crude oil (from Iran),” Mir-Kazemi said.

He added that Iran has expressed its readiness to train the work force in the Zimbabwean oil industry in order to enable them to run and manage the country’s oil operations in the future.

Mutasa, on his part, expressed optimism that Iran could supply the oil needed by Zimbabwe.

On Monday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran will help Zimbabwe as much as possible in view of the sanctions imposed on Harare by the West.

The Islamic Republic will stand by Zimbabwe against “illegal pressures,” he said during a meeting with Mutasa.