Trump last year imposed stringent sanctions against what he describes as the "authoritarian" Iranian regime, seeking to ramp up pressure on Tehran to counter "a potential threat"
Washington: The US has ruled out giving any exemption from its punitive sanctions to countries, including India, for buying oil from Iran, saying America's maximum pressure campaign was working and the Trump administration remains "unwavering" in its tough policy on Tehran.
US President Trump last month refused to give waivers to countries like India from buying oil from Iran, in an attempt to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero. The US on Tuesday reiterated its position after media reports from New Delhi, quoting unnamed government officials, said that India was looking at ways to resume oil imports from Iran despite the US sanctions.
Last week, India's Ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla said India had stopped buying oil from Iran after May 2 when the US ended its waivers that allowed the top buyers of Iranian oil, including India, to continue their imports for six months.
The State Department said there was no change in its policy on Iranian sanctions. "The Secretary (of State) has been very clear since April 22nd that we are going to zero," Spokesperson of the State Department Morgan Ortagus said.
"We have stated that there are no new exemptions after May 2 as it relates to importing Iranian oil. The US position there remains quite firm," she said of the US sanctions on Iran imposed in November after pulling out of a 2015 nuclear accord between Tehran and six other world powers.
"Our sanctions are working and I think that you've heard the Secretary Brian Hook and myself go through a litany of ways in which we know that the sanctions are quite effective for Iran," she said.
1m tonnes
India's current monthly oil dependency on Iran
India no more on US currency monitor list
The US on Tuesday removed India from its currency monitoring list of major trading partners, citing steps being taken by New Delhi which addressed some of the Trump administration's major concerns. For the first time, the US placed India in its currency monitoring list of countries in May 2018 with potentially questionable foreign exchange policies. Switzerland is the other nation that has been removed by the US on Tuesday from its currency monitoring list which among others include China, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam. "India has met a significant bilateral surplus with the US, for two consecutive reports," the Treasury Department said.
Iran rejects Bolton ship attack allegation
Iran strongly rejected an accusation by US National Security Advisor John Bolton Wednesday that it was "almost certainly" behind May 12 attacks on four ships off the United Arab Emirates. "Making such laughable claims is not strange" coming from the US, foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said while hinting at Iran's "strategic patience and high vigilance."
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