Ahead of sanctions snap-back, Trump says US ready for a new deal with Iran
The United States is open to a “new, more comprehensive deal” with Iran, President Donald Trump has said ahead of a second and final round of sanctions ordered by him go into effect from Monday, hitting Iran’s crude oil exports, shipping and ports and its financial system.
The new deal that the United States is offering blocks forever Iran’s path to nuclear weapons, enjoins upon it to give up its ballistic missiles programme and end “malign activities”, which Americans use to describe Tehran’s alleged support for terrorism, in the region.
“We call on the regime to abandon its nuclear ambitions, change its destructive behaviour, respect the rights of its people, and return in good faith to the negotiating table,” President Trump said in a statement, adding, the US “remains open to reaching a new, more comprehensive deal”.
Trump had pulled the United States out of the 2015 Iran deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in May calling it the worst deal in history, and continues to rail against it; on Friday he called it “horrible, one-sided “ and “disastrous”. On Monday, the US pullout from that deal will be complete, with sanctions back in place.
As a major buyer of Iranian crude, India has been negotiations with the United States for exemption from secondary impact so the sanctions as it reduces its orders. It has also sought a carve out from curbs on ports for Chabahar port in Iran which it has helped develop and uses as gateway to Afghanistan and Central Asia.
The United States announced Friday it had agreed to grant waivers to eight countries that, it said, had started reducing their purchases. The list will be announced on Monday, Day One of the full sanctions taking effect, along with other details such as entities and individuals to be sanctions.
India is on the list, US officials have indicated. But it will be under pressure to show reductions. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said Friday the exemptions were being given “only because they have demonstrated significant reductions in their crude oil and cooperation on many other fronts and have made important moves towards getting to zero crude oil importation”.
The details will be announced on Monday, he had added.
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