Trump Administration Reviews All Sanction Exemptions Related to Iran

The spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State stated that the United States is reviewing all existing sanction exemptions that provide any economic leeway to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Tami Bruce, during her press conference in Washington on Thursday, announced this and urged the Iraqi government to end its dependency on Iranian energy resources as soon as possible. She made this statement when asked whether the U.S. would extend the sanctions exemption against the Islamic Republic that allows Iraq to pay for electricity imported from Iran. Tami Bruce said, 'We have nothing to say about the current electricity exemption that expires on March 8... We are reviewing all existing sanction exemptions that provide any economic or financial facilitation to the (Iranian) government.' The U.S. State Department spokesperson added, 'We urge the Iraqi government to eliminate its dependency on Iranian energy resources as soon as possible and welcome the Iraqi Prime Minister's commitment to achieving energy independence.' According to Reuters, citing two informed sources, the United States is reviewing these exemptions that allow the Iraqi government to import electricity from Iran, and it also seeks to increase pressure on Baghdad to allow the export of crude oil from the Kurdistan region of Iraq through Turkey. Washington is calling for an increase in Iraqi oil production to strengthen oil supply in the global market and control prices. This gives Washington more room to work towards cutting oil exports from Iran. The U.S. aim in cutting Iranian oil exports includes curbing the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. Ali Khamenei has previously stated that he will not negotiate with the U.S. Negotiations between the federal government of Iraq and the Kurdistan region of Iraq regarding the resumption of oil exports have been difficult so far. The U.S. government has stated its intention to isolate Iran from the global economy and eliminate its oil revenues to slow down the development of nuclear weapons. The reinstatement of the 'maximum pressure' campaign against the Islamic Republic was one of Donald Trump's first actions after returning to the White House in late January. The United States has imposed a series of sanctions against the Islamic Republic due to its nuclear program and support for militia groups, effectively prohibiting countries that trade with Iran from trading with the United States.