Iran: Increases oil storage capacity on Kharg Island "to foil EU sanctions"

Kharg Island from space (2002)

Well, it's an Iranian Press TV report, so it doesn't need to make sense, I guess, but the logic of "Iran increases oil storage capacity to foil EU sanctions" is elusive to me.

Storing more oil on an island does not seem like way to make sanctions go away - at least in my world:

Managing director of Iranian Oil Terminals Company (IOTC) Seyyed Pirouz Mousavi said on Monday that in order to reduce the impact of the European Union sanctions on Iran’s oil sector, the country has re-commissioned a new storage facility at the Kharg Island oil terminal which can hold as much as one million barrels of crude.

The official added that increasing oil storage capacity will improve oil production and export conditions.

He stated that overhauling the facility has been carried out by domestic contractors and manufacturers, adding that Iran owes 70 percent of the increase in its oil storage capacity during the current Iranian calendar year (ending March 20) to domestic manufacturers.

Mousavi had announced earlier that Iran is capable of storing crude oil in the Persian Gulf for a period of 10-12 days, adding that the figure should hit 30-40 days by building the new storage facilities.

International experts believe that increasing oil storage capacity will improve Iran's position in marketing and selling crude oil.

The country started building its first private oil terminal capable of holding 8 million barrels of oil in the Genaveh port city in January.

The Kharg oil terminal is currently handling about 98 percent of Iran's crude exports and the island has more than 40 storage facilities capable of holding a total amount of 22 million barrels of crude oil.

Iran has also started building four new storage facilities on Kharg Island with the overall capacity of 4 million barrels of crude oil.

Dude, you've just designated a "target rich environment" to the rest of the world.

You won't see  it coming, Seyyed!

Nice little oil storage island you've got there, Seyyed Pirouz Mousavi. Be a shame if anything happened to it. Let's see, how much of your pitiful economy is based on exporting oil?