News : Sanctions

By Edward Carney

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Wednesday that the US would be granting major exceptions to the newly announced sanctions on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Two weeks earlier, President Donald Trump took the unprecedented step of designating the group, a paramilitary arm of the Iranian government, as a foreign terrorist organization.

By INU Staff

INU - At the beginning of the week, the Trump administration declared that pressure on Iran would continue to increase, this time through further crackdowns on countries importing oil from Iran.

By INU Staff

INU - Iran has threatened to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway if sanctions waivers that allow eight countries to continue buying Iranian oil are removed on May 2.

General Alireza Tengseiri, a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said that Tehran would “shut [the Strait] down” and block all exports in response to the US decision to allow the sanctions waivers to expire. The end of sanctions waivers would decrease Iran’s revenue and exacerbate their economic problems.

By Edward Carney

The White House announced on Monday that it would not be renewing sanctions waivers for any of the eight countries that have been importing Iranian oil while also doing business with the US over the past six months.

By INU Staff

INU - The Secretary of State Mike Pompeo annouced today that the US will not renew sanctions waivers for the five countries, including Japan, China, India, South Korea and Turkey,  when they expire on May 2. However, it is not clear whether any of the five will be given a wind-down period to end their imports or whether they would immediately be subject to sanctions on May 3.

By INU Staff

INU - On Monday, the US formally designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation.

The move, announced by Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last Monday, is the first time that the US has ever placed an entire division of a foreign government on their list of "foreign terrorist organizations". There was a one-week consultation period with Congress to allow for any objections, but few did and the move still went ahead as documented in the Federal Register on Monday.