The United States has implemented new sanctions against Iran, targeting the country’s oil and petrochemical sales. The move comes as diplomatic relations between the US and Iran continue to stall, despite recent reports of a potential prisoner exchange deal. The State Department has stated that the US is committed to significantly reducing Iranian energy exports and will sanction those who facilitate Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical trade. The sanctions have been imposed on a Vietnam-based company, two firms based in China, two others in Iran, and one in the United Arab Emirates, all of which have been accused of involvement in the transport or sale of Iranian oil and petrochemicals. The measures will block the entities’ assets in the US and restrict other companies from doing business with them.
The US has imposed an enormous amount of sanctions on Iran since 2018 when then-President Donald Trump withdrew from a multilateral nuclear deal that saw Iran scale back its nuclear programme in exchange for lifting international sanctions against its economy. US President Joe Biden, who was vice president when the 2015 agreement was originally signed, has promised to revive the pact. However, numerous rounds of indirect talks over the past two years have failed to restore the nuclear deal. While Washington often reiterates that it will never allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon, US officials have recently said they are no longer focused on the nuclear talks as they address other issues related to Tehran, which denies seeking nuclear arms.
US-Iranian relations have been further complicated by a crackdown on anti-government protests in Iran and Washington’s allegations that Tehran supplied Russia with drones that Moscow used against Ukraine. The State Department spokesperson, Ned Price, said on Wednesday that they want to see a durable, lasting resolution to the challenge posed by Iran’s nuclear programme. He added that they continue to believe that diplomacy is the most effective way to achieve that but every time they’ve been asked, they have been very clear that they will, through all means necessary, ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon.
Meanwhile, Iran has accused the US of showing “bad faith” in talks to negotiate a prisoner swap. However, Washington says it will do everything possible to secure the release of three of its citizens imprisoned in Iran. A State Department spokesperson told Al Jazeera last month that Iran unjustly detains citizens of the US and other countries around the world as an inexcusable tactic to gain political leverage. Therefore, for them to claim that the United States has somehow shown ‘bad faith’ in pursuing the release of their citizens is beyond the pale.
In conclusion, the United States has imposed new sanctions on Iran targeting its oil and petrochemical sales. Despite recent reports of a potential prisoner exchange deal between the two countries, diplomatic relations remain stalled. The US has imposed numerous sanctions on Iran since 2018 when then-President Donald Trump withdrew from a multilateral nuclear deal. US President Joe Biden has promised to revive the pact but numerous rounds of indirect talks have failed to restore it. The US continues to believe that diplomacy is the most effective way to resolve the challenge posed by Iran’s nuclear programme but will ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon through all means necessary. Meanwhile, Iran accuses the US of showing “bad faith” in talks to negotiate a prisoner swap, but Washington says it will do everything possible to secure the release of its citizens imprisoned in Iran.