U.S. Will Not Renew Sanction Waivers to Countries that Import Oil from Iran

On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a press conference in which he announced that the United States government will no longer issue waivers to countries that import oil from Iran exempting them from sanctions.

Maximum pressure on the Iranian regime means maximum pressure. That’s why the U.S. will not issue any exceptions to Iranian oil importers. The global oil market remains well-supplied. We’re confident it will remain stable as jurisdictions transition away from Iranian crude.

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) April 22, 2019

Exemptions for Japan, South Korea, Turkey, China, and India are set to expire on May 2nd and will not be renewed, according to Secretary Pompeo. These countries will face U.S. sanctions if they continue importing oil from Iran after that date.

The decision follows the recent designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the United States. The FTO designation makes it illegal to provide financial support, equipment, materials, or professional advice to any entities or organizations affiliated with the IRGC. Anyone found in violation may face civil and/or criminal prosecution.

The resumption of economic sanctions against the Iranian regime, the FTO designation, and the end of oil exemptions are all part of the Trump administration’s tough stance on the mullahs’ regime. The change in policy ends a longstanding policy of appeasement to the mullahs and has placed serious economic and political pressure on the Iranian regime.

Statement from the White House

The White House issued a statement in advance of Pompeo’s press conference, explaining its decision. The full text may be read below:

“President Donald J. Trump has decided not to reissue Significant Reduction Exceptions (SREs) when they expire in early May. This decision is intended to bring Iran’s oil exports to zero, denying the regime its principal source of revenue. The United States, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, three of the world’s great energy producers, along with our friends and allies, are committed to ensuring that global oil markets remain adequately supplied. We have agreed to take timely action to assure that global demand is met as all Iranian oil is removed from the market.

“The Trump Administration and our allies are determined to sustain and expand the maximum economic pressure campaign against Iran to end the regime’s destabilizing activity threatening the United States, our partners and allies, and security in the Middle East. The President’s decision to eliminate all SREs follows the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, demonstrating the United States commitment to disrupting Iran’s terror network and changing the regime’s malign behavior. We welcome the support of our friends and allies for this effort.​”

Maryam Rajavi’s Response

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), welcomed the decision in a tweet, writing:

Oil is a national treasure and must be put in the service of the Iranian people’s welfare and advancement. But the mullahs either plunder it or spend it on suppression and exporting terrorism and war.#Iran#IranSanctions

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) April 22, 2019

“Oil is a national treasure and must be put in the service of the Iranian people’s welfare and advancement. But the mullahs either plunder it or spend it on suppression and exporting terrorism and war.
#Iran
#IranSanctions”

She also described measures that the international community could take to support the Iranian people and end the religious dictatorship.

Oil embargo & #BlacklistIRGC must be complemented by other measures, including the recognition of the right of the Iranian ppl & Resistance to overthrow the religious dictatorship & designating other organs of repression,expelling MOIS & IRGC agents from US & Europe#Iran

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) April 22, 2019

Oil embargo & #BlacklistIRGC must be complemented by other measures, including the recognition of the right of the Iranian ppl & Resistance to overthrow the religious dictatorship & designating other organs of repression,expelling MOIS & IRGC agents from US & Europe
#Iran

Mrs. Rajavi also urged the international community to take action to visit political prisoners in Iran and to call for their release in light of recent comments from the regime’s Minister of Intelligence in which he claimed that the regime had “dealt with” 118 MEK teams in the past year.

Staff writer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday, September 11th, the First Vice-President of the Iranian regime, Es’haq Jahangiri, acknowledged in a speech in Tehran that U.S. sanctions against the regime have been “highly effective.”

According to ISNA one of the regime’s official News Agencies, Jahangiri denied that Iran is currently facing a “deadlock” but said that Iran is facing a “difficult and sensitive situation.”

Jahangiri described the U.S. sanctions as “an economic war” on the regime, adding that the U.S. was also “waging a political and media war in order to influence public opinion in Iran.”
Jahangiri appears to have taken his talking points directly from regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who told the regime’s Assembly of Experts last week that the United States was waging an economic and psychological war on Iran.

The recent statements stand in sharp contrast to earlier statements on the sanctions by regime officials. As recently as late August, regime President Hassan Rouhani told the Iranian Parliament: “Don’t say in your speeches that the country is facing a crisis. We have been harmed and have at times been on the verge of being harmed, but there is no crisis.”

The U.S. began re-imposing sanctions in August, and the regime’s claims that Iran was not affected became impossible to maintain in the weeks since the sanctions took effect. The Iranian regime was already in the grips of overlapping economic crises, as high unemployment, rising prices, and devaluation of the rial have fueled the popular uprising that threatens to topple the regime. These issues have worsened with the addition of U.S. sanctions and are likely to continue their downward spiral as the November 4th deadline looms for American allies to stop buying Iranian oil or face U.S. sanctions of their own. The regime can no longer pretend that Iran is on a stable course.

The United States withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May of this year, which triggered the resumption of sanctions against Iran. Prior to the U.S. withdrawal from the deal, speculation that the U.S. might take this action led to a steep drop in the value of Iran’s currency, the rial. The rial lost 140% of its value overnight and has steadily fallen in value since, leading to a 5.5% inflation rate in Iran in August, according to Iran’s Central Bank.

The second round of U.S. sanctions is set to go into effect on November 4th. These sanctions, which will target Iranian regime’s oil income and the ability to access the international banking system, are already beginning to affect the regime, as many international businesses rush to cut ties with the Iranian regime

rather than risk sanctions. Economic analysts, and an increasing number of officials with the Iranian regime say that the new sanctions will deeply impact the regime.

Although Khamenei and his allies would like to place the blame for Iran’s economic woes on the “poor performance of the Rouhani administration” and “profiteers,” it is becoming more and more clear that Iran’s problems stem from systemic corruption and mismanagement on the part of the mullahs.

Staff Writer