European traders reported on Thursday that the Iranian state-owned animal feeding importer SLAL purchased approximately 60,000 metric tonnes of animal feed barley during an international auction seeking around 120,000 tones this week.

They said that the barley would be imported from Russia and Kazakhstan, with small vessels shipping via the Caspian Sea.

Prices are not available.

The bid had closed Tuesday for shipment in December 2024 or January 2025. The barley could be sourced from either the European Union or Russia, Ukraine or elsewhere in the Black Sea Region.

Traders said that the Western sanctions on Iran had caused payment problems for Iranian companies, which made it difficult to participate in recent Iranian tenders.

The sanctions imposed by the West on Iran for its nuclear program do not apply to food, but they have affected Iran's financial system and created complex payment arrangements.

Traders reported that Iran offered payment for this week's auction via banks in Turkey or Iraq. (Reporting and editing by Devika Syamath, with Michael Hogan)

(source: Reuters)