U.S. Announces No More Sanctions Waivers for Importing Iranian Oil

April 22, 2019 (EIRNS)—Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced, today, that no more waivers from U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil imports will be granted. On May 2, waivers that had been granted to Greece, Italy, Taiwan, China, India, Turkey, Japan, and South Korea, will expire. Three of those—Greece, Italy and Taiwan—have reportedly already cut their oil imports from Iran to zero, but the others, if they don’t accede to U.S. demands, will be sanctioned. Thus, Pompeo is threatening allies, friends and foes alike, that they must do as we say in their (supposedly) sovereign relations with other countries, or face punishment. He is clearly pushing the limits of toleration to his neoconservative fantasies of America as the “only superpower.”

“We will continue to enforce sanctions and monitor compliance,” Pompeo said. “Any nation or entity interacting with Iran should do its diligence and err on the side of caution. The risks are simply not going to be worth the benefits.”

Pompeo said he had negotiated with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to pump enough additional oil to maintain market stability. In addition, he said, the U.S. is now a significant producer as well.

“I can confirm that each of those suppliers are working directly with Iran’s former customers to make the transition away from Iranian crude less disruptive,” he said.

Pompeo promised that once Iranian oil exports are down to zero, they will stay at zero until Iran responds to U.S. demands.

“We have made our demands very clear to the Ayatollah and his cronies. End your pursuit of nuclear weapons. Stop testing and proliferating ballistic missiles. Stop sponsoring and committing terrorism. Halt the arbitrary detention of U.S. citizens,” he said. “Our pressure is aimed at fulfilling these demands and others, and it will continue to accelerate until Iran is willing to address them at the negotiating table.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang, during a press briefing before Pompeo’s announcement, told reporters: “China opposes the unilateral sanctions and so-called ‘long-arm jurisdictions’ imposed by the U.S. Our cooperation with Iran is open, transparent, lawful, and legitimate, thus it should be respected,” he said. “Our government is committed to upholding the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and will play a positive and constructive role in upholding the stability of global energy market.”