Pompeo Says Many Countries Are Cutting Trade Relations with Iran

The U.S. Secretary of State has emphasized that with the return of the second round of sanctions against Tehran, different rules will be applied regarding trade with the Iranian government. Mike Pompeo wrote on Twitter on September 17 (Tehran time), "With the arrival of November 4, different rules will be enforced for anyone who wants to trade with the Iranian regime." He added, "Many countries are already taking steps to leave Iran." Donald Trump, who, like almost all Republicans, opposed the nuclear deal with Iran, withdrew from the JCPOA last spring. The first round of U.S. sanctions returned in August, and the second, more severe sanctions, including oil sanctions, are set to return on November 4. This is the same date mentioned in Pompeo's tweet, emphasizing that from that time, "different rules" will be enforced. Trump has been critical and opposed to negotiations and the agreement made with Iran both during the election campaign and after winning the U.S. elections, stating that the nuclear deal is against the national interests and security of his country and has not prevented Iran's "malicious" actions in the region and the world or the development of its missile program. Most Democrats and U.S. European allies have supported the nuclear deal. Barack Obama, the former U.S. president, criticized Trump's actions, stating that the agreement with the Islamic Republic significantly rolled back Tehran's nuclear program and was not meant to end all problems between the United States and the Islamic Republic. However, both Washington's European allies and politicians from both main parties in the United States have objected to Iran's activities in the region and the development of its missile program. Current U.S. officials, including the president and secretary of state, have repeatedly addressed the issue of countering Iran's actions in recent months. Just a day before Pompeo's new tweet, he reiterated the issue of John Kerry's meetings with Mohammad Javad Zarif, stating: "The [nuclear] agreement has failed. Let it go." Iran has rejected the repeated U.S. accusations regarding "state-sponsored terrorism," claiming it does not interfere in other countries and that its missile program is defensive and it does not intend to abandon it. The Islamic Republic has not yet agreed to new negotiations with the Trump administration to address what Washington describes as Tehran's "set of actions." The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic has even banned negotiations. The U.S. has stated its intention to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero by the time the second round of sanctions returns. Despite having oil customers like China, it is unclear whether this plan can be implemented as announced. However, currently, major customers like India have reduced their imports of Iranian oil, and Japan and South Korea are generally replacing Iranian oil. On the other hand, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, has threatened the European Union that if there is no balance between Iran's achievements and data from the nuclear agreement, the Islamic Republic will increase its uranium enrichment percentage while remaining in the JCPOA. Iranian officials have declared oil exports and banking transactions as their most important expectations from the European Union. They have asked Europe to provide a practical solution for buying oil and trading with Iran by November 4, the time of the return of the second round of U.S. sanctions.