Outgoing Iranian president Hassan Rouhani
Tehran: Iran has opened a new onshore oil pipeline that enables the country to bypass the Strait of Hormuz for its crude oil exports.
Outgoing Iranian President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated the new oil track with which oil can be exported without passing through Strait of Hormuz, though to be the lifeline of Middle East's oil channel to the outside world.
The pipeline, about 1,000 km long, will transfer the pumped oil from facilities in Goureh to the Omani sea port of Jask, reports Xinhua news agency.
The inauguration of the Goureh-Jask pipeline "gives a strong and firm response to all plotters particularly to the US," Rouhani said during the virtual opening ceremony on Thursday, alluding to the American sanctions, which are aimed at hindering Tehran's oil exports.
"The US government waged war on us in two areas, one on oil exports, and the other on the supply of goods."
"They aimed to stop Iran's oil exports and reduce crude exports to zero," he said, hinting the failure of the US anti-Iran maximum pressure policy.
The $2- billion project, the construction of which started two years ago, detours the strategic Hormuz Strait which has long been used as a vital passageway for oil exports of the region.
"As time goes by, the importance of this project will become more evident for the Iranians," said Rouhani.
The oil pipeline is able to initially export 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude and will reach the capacity of one million bpd once fully ready in October, according to authorities.
(Based on IANS feed)