The State Department is seriously considering using an Obama-era loophole to allow China to import oil from Iran
, violating the Trump administration’s pledge to bring Iranian oil exports to zero.
The 2012 Iran Freedom and Counterproliferation Act targeted the Iranian shipping, shipbuilding and energy sectors, requiring states or companies that wish to import Iranian oil and conduct business with the U.S. to obtain waivers from the U.S. government. A separate law targeted purchases, rather than imports of that oil.
Much of the rhetoric from the State Department has specified that the U.S. is targeting purchases -- rather than imports -- of Iranian oil, a distinction that will become important under the law if the department decides to give China a pass. The Chinese imports, first reported by the website TankerTrackers.com, which uses satellite technology to track ships, have caught the attention of lawmakers. “The Administration stopped issuing sanctions waivers for Iranian oil exports in May, yet China just received massive oil cargo from Iran,” Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted last week. “The tanker Saline, capable of carrying 1 million barrels, docked in Jianzhou bay on June 20.
“We’re going to zero,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said when he announced the policy in late April. “We’re going to zero across the board.”“The decision from the U.S. will contribute to volatility in the Middle East and in the international energy market. We urge the United States to take a responsible attitude and play a constructive role, not the opposite,” Geng Shuang, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said at an April 23 briefing.
Experts say the State Department may have devised the workaround because it has few options for punishing Beijing for its defiance.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump won't accept these harsh realities on IranThere's a real risk that the US and Iran are playing a game of highway chicken, and neither side is quite in control of the steering wheel.
Read more »
Trump says Iran 'playing with fire' with uranium enrichmentIran announces it has amassed more low-enriched uranium than permitted under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. More here:
Read more »
The Fox News general who 'spooked' Trump out of attacking IranPresident Donald Trump may have tired of the men he once called “my generals,” but one retired military leader still has his ear on key foreign policy matters.
Read more »
Trump says Iran 'playing with fire' after nuclear deal limit breachedUS President Donald Trump warned Monday that Iran is "playing with fire" after Tehran said it exceeded a limit on enriched uranium reserves under a 2015 nuclear deal abandoned by Washington. Israel urged European states to sanction Iran, while Russia voiced regret but said the move was a consequence
Read more »
The Fox News general who 'spooked' Trump out of attacking IranPresident Donald Trump may have tired of the men he once called “my generals,” but one retired military leader still has his ear on key foreign policy matters.
Read more »