Brian Hook: The Iranian Government Provides False Information to the People Regarding Sanctions

Brian Hook, the head of the Iran Action Group at the U.S. State Department, emphasized on Monday that the goal of U.S. sanctions is not to undermine trade in humanitarian areas, including food and medicine, and that the Iranian government is providing false information to the people in this regard. Mr. Hook, who is currently in Luxembourg for meetings with European officials after a trip to India, outlined the U.S. position on the new round of sanctions against Iran that will be reinstated in a few weeks during a phone press conference with reporters from various media outlets. He clarified that the exceptions considered by the United States regarding the new sanctions are in favor of the Iranian people, but the Iranian government, which is responsible for economic problems, issues related to basic needs, and water shortages (due to excessive dam construction), is misleading the Iranian people about this. The head of the Iran Action Group at the U.S. State Department accused Iran of instilling fear regarding the stability of the energy market and expressed confidence that the stability of the energy market would be maintained after the return of the new round of sanctions in the energy sector, noting that the U.S. government is in close daily contact with Congress and oil-producing allies on this issue. Mr. Hook emphasized that the United States aims to reduce Iranian oil exports to zero and, referring to the increase in U.S. oil production, added that the country is prepared to continue supplying oil and gas to balance the market. He estimated this increase in production for the next year to be one million barrels. Mr. Hook also refrained from commenting on a potential U.S. action regarding the SWIFT financial system, but reiterated that over a hundred international companies have exited Iran, stating, 'When you have economic cooperation with Iran, you do not know if it is a normal business relationship or if you are financially supporting terrorism.' He added that 'foreign companies have received the U.S. message regarding the consequences of cooperating with Iran.' The new round of U.S. sanctions against Iran, which includes the energy sector, will be reinstated from mid-November this year, and reports have recently emerged in the media regarding a decrease in production and requests for purchasing Iranian oil by other countries. Iran previously threatened that if it cannot export its oil, other countries will also not be able to export theirs. This threat has been interpreted as Iran's potential intention to close the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important oil passageways in the world. Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated on Monday regarding this matter: 'The U.S. insisted and is trying to achieve something that cannot be realized, namely zeroing Iran's oil exports, which will certainly not come to fruition.' He added: 'The necessary mechanisms have been designed in the past and continue in negotiations with countries. I believe our exports can continue at an optimal level, and this matter is being pursued by the Ministry of Oil and parts of the Foreign Ministry, and Trump cannot achieve his goal.' The return of sanctions against Iran in two phases occurred after the United States, which sees Iran's missile program and regional behaviors as violations of the spirit of the JCPOA, exited the nuclear agreement with Iran, hoping to compel Iran to accept an agreement that would also cover other aspects of its behavior. In this context, Mr. Hook criticized Iran again on Monday for violating the spirit of the JCPOA and emphasized that the U.S. is seeking to reach a treaty with Iran. Mr. Hook is scheduled to travel to Paris and Brussels in the coming days to continue his consultations, including a meeting in Paris with the Director-General of the International Energy Agency.