TEHRAN (Parliament Politics Magazine) – In an effort to “severely restrict” Iranian petrochemical and oil exports, the Biden government has launched a fresh round of sanctions against Iran. They promise to impose monetary penalties on a “regular basis.”
The US accuses a number of companies and “front companies” based in China, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, and India of being involved in the sale of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products. These entities are the subject of the penalties announced on Thursday.
US President Joe Biden’s government also clearly connected the penalties to the failure to resurrect the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), often known as the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal.
In a statement, Brian Nelson, the Treasury Department official said that the US was committed to severely constraining the illicit oil and petrochemical sales of Iran.Â
The United States would continue to impose its sanctions on the sale of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products until Iran agreed to fully implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
The sanctions prevent American citizens from doing business with these companies and freeze their assets in the US.
Since former US President Donald Trump rolled back from the nuclear agreement in 2018, there have been harsh US sanctions imposed on a number of Iranian economic sectors.
Iran’s nuclear programme has been developing in response, including uranium enrichment, far beyond the restrictions outlined in the deal.
Biden is attempting to resurrect the agreement, which saw Iran curtail its nuclear programme in exchange for the relaxation of economic sanctions, but diplomatic efforts to do so have failed.
The Biden administration declared on Thursday that unless Iran rejoins the pact, sanctions will be strictly enforced.
The US Department of Treasury said in a statement that while Iran continued to advance its nuclear programme in violation of the JCPOA, the US would continue to advance its enforcement of sanctions on Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical sales under authorities that under the JCPOA.Â
The goal of these enforcement operations was to severely restrict Iran’s exports of oil and petrochemicals. They would continue regularly.
Following multiple iterations of indirect nuclear negotiations, Washington and Tehran have traded the blame for the collapse of the agreement.
Tehran claims that Washington’s refusal to lift sanctions for a lasting effect is the biggest obstacle delaying a return to the JCPOA, while the US officials’ assert that Iran must determine whether it wants to rejoin the agreement.
Last week, Biden stated in a speech to the UN General Assembly that while Washington is ready to rejoin the accord, his administration will not permit Tehran to develop nuclear weapons. Iran disputes the idea that it wants one.
A 22-year old woman Mahsa Amini was detained in Tehran earlier this month for wearing unsuitable clothes. Her death has led to widespread protests across Iran.
Washington has maintained it is still willing to salvage the nuclear deal based on reciprocal compliance while expressing support for the protesters.
