US: Under 'Maximum Pressure', Iran's Oil Exports Will Return to 100,000 Barrels Per Day

Scott Basset, the US Treasury Secretary, said on Friday that the United States intends to return the oil exports of the Islamic Republic of Iran to 100,000 barrels per day by implementing a 'maximum pressure' policy. In an interview with Fox Business, he stated that the 'Iranian regime' currently exports between 1.5 million and 1.6 million barrels of oil daily, financing 'terrorist activities around the world' through this. The Treasury Secretary emphasized that the Trump administration is 'committed' to returning this number to 100,000 barrels per day, which was achieved at the end of his first presidential term. Scott Basset mentioned that China and possibly India are purchasing oil from the sanctioned Islamic Republic of Iran, which he deemed 'unacceptable.' He added that the maximum pressure applied on the 'Iranian regime' and the return of daily oil exports to 100,000 barrels will place the Islamic Republic's economy, which is currently 'fragile' despite exporting 1.5 to 1.6 million barrels of oil daily and struggling with massive inflation and a significant budget deficit, under much greater economic pressure. In this context, a group of American lawmakers has called in a new resolution for the reinstatement of strict UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic, accusing its officials of repeatedly violating the JCPOA. According to Fox News, this resolution, which has bipartisan support, urges Britain, France, and Germany to quickly activate the 'snapback mechanism' through the UN Security Council and impose sanctions against the Iranian government. Following the reinstatement of the US 'maximum pressure' policy against the Islamic Republic and the open opposition of Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Iranian government, to negotiations with the US, the dollar price recently entered the 90,000 Toman range, recording a historic high of 95 Toman at times. On Tuesday, Donald Trump resumed the 'maximum pressure' campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran by signing an executive order, the full text of which is available on the White House website. The maximum pressure on the Islamic Republic includes the signing of a national security presidential memorandum by Donald Trump, which reinstates maximum pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran, blocks pathways to nuclear weapons, and counters the Iranian regime's destructive influence abroad. This memorandum states: The Islamic Republic must be deprived of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles. The terrorist network of the Islamic Republic must be neutralized. Aggressive missile development and other asymmetric and conventional weapon capabilities of the Islamic Republic must be countered. The presidential memorandum instructs the US Treasury Secretary to apply maximum economic pressure on the Iranian government, including sanctions or enforcement mechanisms against those who violate existing sanctions. The Treasury Secretary will also advise all related commercial sectors, including transportation, insurance, and port operators, regarding the risks for anyone who knowingly violates US sanctions related to the Islamic Republic or a representative of the Iranian government's terrorism. The US Secretary of State will also adjust or revoke existing sanctions exemptions and will work with the Treasury Secretary to launch a campaign aimed at reducing Iran's oil exports to zero. The US Permanent Representative to the UN will collaborate with key allies to fully restore sanctions and international restrictions against the Iranian government. Protecting the homeland from the Islamic Republic: The era of the previous US administration's appeasement towards the threats of the Islamic Republic against American citizens and companies is now over. The US Attorney General will pursue all existing legal avenues to investigate, disrupt, and prosecute financial and logistical networks, agents, or operational groups within the United States supported by the Islamic Republic or a representative of the Iranian government’s terrorism. The Attorney General will prosecute leaders and members of terrorist groups supported by the Iranian government who have detained, harmed, or killed American citizens, seeking their arrest and extradition to the United States. Eliminating the Islamic Republic's nuclear program: Donald Trump will not tolerate the Islamic Republic's possession of nuclear weapons capabilities, nor their sustained support for terrorism, especially against US interests. In 2020, Donald Trump declared that 'as long as [he] is President of the United States, the Islamic Republic will never be allowed to have nuclear weapons.' The national security presidential memorandum today acts on that presidential promise from 2020 to counter the Iranian regime's destructive influence worldwide: 'For a very long time - precisely since 1979 - countries have tolerated the Islamic Republic's destructive and destabilizing behavior in the Middle East and beyond. Those days are over. The Iranian government has been the main supporter of terrorism and their efforts to acquire nuclear weapons threaten the civilized world. We will never allow this to happen.'