No further waivers on Iran oil imports, says US

No further waivers on Iran oil imports, says US

PW Bureau

Trump continues his attempts to cripple Iran's oil-dependent economy and force the nation to overturn its nuclear projects and end support for militant groups in the Middle East    

Abu Dhabi: No further waivers will be granted by the United States government for Iranian oil after the Trump administration renewed sanctions on the Islamic Republic, an official said on January 12. The move comes as Trump continues his attempts to cripple Iran's oil-dependent economy and force the nation to overturn its nuclear projects and end support for militant groups in the Middle East. Tensions have risen between Iran and the United States after Trump abandoned a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers in May, saying the accord was flawed in favour of Tehran.

"Iran is now increasingly feeling the economic isolation that our sanctions are imposing…We do want to deny the regime revenues," Brian Hook, the US special representative for Iran, told a news conference in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

"Eighty percent of Iran's revenues come from oil exports and this is (the) number one state sponsor of terrorism…We want to deny this regime the money it needs," Hook said.

The representative did not speak of the Washington administration's plans when the current waivers end in May. The US sanctioned waivers to eight traditional Iranian oil buyers, including China, India, Japan and South Korea, after the US renewed its sanctions in November.

"We want a new and better deal (with Iran) but in that process, we are denying the Iranian regime billions and billions of dollars and they are facing a liquidity crisis," Hook said.

Hook added that the Iran government will not open negotiations unless pressured.

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