Germany Denies Secret Oil Talks with Iran

Reacting to claims over secret talks with Tehran over oil purchase, the German foreign ministry said that the federal government has not engaged in talks with Iran to purchase its oil and gas.

A spokesman for the German foreign ministry said, "The fact is that there are no talks or plans to buy oil or gas from Iran." According to the spokesman, the coverage of the talks is "completely unfounded."

Earlier on Tuesday, The Jerusalem Post had reported that the chief economist of the partly state-owned LBBW bank in the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg announced that Germany is in secret talks with the Islamic Republic of Iran to buy Iranian oil.

"Intensive talks are already being held behind the scenes with Venezuela, Iran, or Algeria to cover Germany's oil and gasoline needs," said Moritz Kraemer, the chief economist of the Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW).

When asked about Kraemer’s statement about secret talks with Iran, Wagner said, "There seems to be a misunderstanding. The chief economist is talking about the national economy, not about LBBW's business. We have a very clear distinction here."

Kraemer's comment was published on the LBBW website, according to the report. - Mehr