US Exempts Five Countries From Iranian Sanctions

China, India, the Republic of Korea, Turkey, and Taiwan Now Exempt From Iranian Sanctions!

The United States of America has exempted China, India, the Republic of Korea, Turkey, and Taiwan from Iranian sanctions act as they curb the volume of their purchases of Iranian crude oil.

In his press statement in Washington DC, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the additional reductions were determined based on an analysis of the economies’ purchasing activity over the previous six months.

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Abadan Oil Refinery, Catalitic Facilities.

In addition, he noted that Malaysia, South Africa, Singapore, and Sri Lanka have also qualified again for the NDAA exception because they no longer purchase crude oil from Iran.

He noted that it is the fourth time that these nine economies have qualified for an NDAA exception as a result of their continued significant reductions in the volume of crude oil purchases from Iran or their end to such purchases.

US Continues To Implement Existing Sanctions On Iran

Secretary Kerry emphasized that the United States will continue to vigorously implement its existing sanctions on Iran as the P5+1 seeks to negotiate a comprehensive deal with Iran that will resolve the international community’s concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear program.

He pointed out that the effectiveness of the international sanctions regime has proven essential in bringing Iran to the table to negotiate and agree to the Joint Action Plan halts the progress of the Iranian nuclear program and rolls it back in key areas.

“We will continue to aggressively enforce our sanctions over the next six months, as we work to determine whether there is a comprehensive solution that gives us confidence that the Iranian nuclear program is for exclusively peaceful purposes.” – Secretary Kerry

US maintaining pressure on the Iranian regime

In June, determined to maintain pressure on the Iranian regime until it fully addresses concerns about its nuclear program, the United States renewed waivers on Iranian oil sanctions for ten major oil importers of the Middle East country.

The waivers were granted to major oil importers China, India, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Taiwan.

Despite dipping sales from overseas, Iran remains one of the world’s largest oil producers and its exports bring in tens of billions of dollars in revenue for the country.

On Pressuring Iran

The United States and the international community stand shoulder to shoulder in maintaining pressure on the Iranian regime until it fully addresses concerns about its nuclear program.

A total of 20 countries and economies have continued to significantly reduce the volume of their crude oil purchases from Iran or have completely eliminated such purchases.

According to the latest U.S. Energy Information Administration report to Congress, Iran’s oil production fell by one million barrels per day in September and October 2012, compared to the same period in 2011.

India Exploits Iran’s Nuclear Problems

According to Security-Risks.com, “India’s first response to the P5 plus 1 agreement on the Iran Nuclear Issue was guarded.” They quoted India’s official spokesperson, who said, “As the agreement between Iran and the P5 plus 1 has been agreed to just a few hours ago we are in the process of obtaining details from our key interlocutors, however, based on initial information available at this stage I can say that India welcomes the prospect of resolving questions related to Iran’s nuclear program, through dialogue and diplomacy. We also welcome the earlier agreement reached on November 11 between Iran and the IAEA, which is the only competent technical agency to verify the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear activities, on practical measures for enhanced IAEA verification activity at Iranian nuclear sites.”

Security-Risks.com went on to say, “However in the background there was a push to exploit the breakthrough. Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh held talks with Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran Ebrahim Rahimpour on December 25, 2013 in New Delhi. These were part of the high level Foreign Office consultations that take place between India and Iran and may have been pre-scheduled but the P 5 + 1 agreement provided a positive spin. A key agenda point was development of the Iranian Port of Chabahar as a trade and energy export hub.”

US and EU Efforts

In June 2011, the United States of America imposed several sanctions on Iran. The United States imposed sanctions on Tidewater Middle East Company, an operator of Iranian ports owned by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that has links to Iranian proliferation activities.

The United States has also imposed sanctions against Iran Air, which was designated for providing material support and services to the IRGC and Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), and also has facilitated proliferation-related activities.

The European Union also imposed sanctions against Iran. The EU bans imports of Iranian crude oil and petroleum products, freeze the assets of the Iranian central bank, and takes additional action against Iran’s energy, financial, and transport sectors.

Mina Fabulous
Mina Fabulous follows the news, especially what is going on in the US State Department. Mina turns State Department waffle into plain English. Mina Fabulous is the pen name of Carmen Avalino, the NewsBlaze production editor. When she isn't preparing stories for NewsBlaze writers, she writes stories, but to separate her editing and writing identities, she uses the name given by her family and friends.