Iran Dumps Petrodollar, Wants Euros for All Oil Sales

Reuters has reported that Iran is requesting euros for all new and outstanding oil payments. Another nail in the dollar's coffin:

A source at state-owned National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC) told Reuters that Iran will charge in euros for its recently signed oil contracts with firms including French oil and gas major Total (TOTF.PA), Spanish refiner Cepsa CPF.GQ and Litasco, the trading arm of Russia's Lukoil (LKOH.MM).

"In our invoices we mention a clause that buyers of our oil will have to pay in euros, considering the exchange rate versus the dollar around the time of delivery," the NIOC source said.

Lukoil and Total declined to comment, while Cepsa did not respond to a request for comment.

Iran has also told its trading partners who owe it billions of dollars that it wants to be paid in euros rather than U.S. dollars, said the person, who has direct knowledge of the matter.

Analysts say that the move is not just politically motivated: Now that sanctions have been lifted, Europe has become one of Iran's top trading partners. So why use dollars?

But the decision seems to be yet another act of defiance against dollar dominance. This week Russia became China's biggest oil partner, thanks in part to Moscow accepting payment in yuan. And last month, Iran and India announced that they intend to settle all outstanding crude oil payments in rupees, as part of a joint strategy to dump the dollar and trade instead in national currencies.

P.S. -- it's worth remembering the last nations to sell its oil - or even suggest it was going to use something other than Yankee dollars - were destroyed: Iraq and Libya.

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