WASHINGTON – The US has ruled out giving any exemption from its punitivesanctions to countries, including India, for buying oil from Iran, sayingAmerica’s maximum pressure campaign was working and the Trumpadministration remains “unwavering” in its tough policy on Tehran.
US President Trump last month refused to give waivers to countries likeIndia from buying oil from Iran, in an attempt to reduce Iran’s oil exportsto zero.
The US on Tuesday reiterated its position at a news conference here aftermedia reports from New Delhi, quoting unnamed government officials, saidthat India was looking at ways to resume oil imports from Iran despite theUS sanctions.
Last week, India’s Ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla said Indiahad stopped buying oil from Iran after May 2 when the US ended its waiversthat allowed the top buyers of Iranian oil, including India, to continuetheir imports for six months.
The State Department said there was no change in its policy on Iraniansanctions.
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“The Secretary (of State) has been very clear since April 22nd that we aregoing to zero,” Spokesperson of the State Department Morgan Ortagus toldreporters during an off-camera news conference. “We have stated that thereare no new exemptions after May 2 as it relates to importing Iranian oil.The US position there remains quite firm,” she said in response to aquestion.
The US reimposed sanctions on Iran in November after pulling out of a 2015nuclear accord between Tehran and six other world powers. Ortagus said theAmerican sanctions on Iran were working.
