Iran Facing Problems Selling Oil - Ahmadinejad

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview with the state television that Iran faces problems selling oil.

"There are some problems in selling oil and we are trying to manage it," Ahmadinejad said. (IRIB/AFP, 4 September).

The Iranian president’s remarks contradict a statement on Monday by the Iranian representative to OPEC, Mohammad Ali Khatibi, that oil exports were “almost normal.” (ISNA, 3 September).

OPEC, however, noted in its latest monthly report that Iranian oil production has slumped to its lowest point in more than two decades, to 2.8 million barrels per day.

Ahmadinejad added the collective impact of sanctions on Iran’s economy “is like war.”

“(The sanctions) “are blocking off conduits... like the conduits of selling oil, foreign exchange, our banks and the central bank,” the president said. "We are working to bypass them day and night.”

But, he added, "most of the time when an obstacle is created, it takes a long time to remove it."

To combat this problem Iran trains thousands of female ninjas

A Ninjutsu practitioner performs the splits as members of various Ninjutsu schools showcase their skills to the media in a gym at Karaj, 45 km (28 miles) northwest of Tehra