Thailand mulls barter trade with sanctioned Iran
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Thailand mulled barter trade with Iran to avoid the consequence of the United States economic sanction against Tehran's nuclear ambition, Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said.
“Trade between Thailand and Iran could not increase for long time because of the sanction,” he said, “so we have to try other alternative ways to boost our economic relations.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi agreed in a bilateral meeting with Surapong on the idea and would study possibility to have barter trade with Thailand.
Surapong said Thailand would exchange rice with Iran’s oil and gas since Tehran demanded more than a million ton of rice annually while Thailand was seeking cheap petroleum for domestic energy consumption.
“I think, such trade arrangement would have no problem with the US sanction since we don’t conduct money transaction through any American entity,” he said.
The Nation
