US reimposes tough sanctions on Iran
EU ‘deeply regrets’ Washington move
WASHINGTON: The United States reimposed a wave of tough, unilateral sanctions against Iran on Tuesday, bringing back into effect harsh penalties that had been lifted under a historic, multi-party nuclear agreement that President Donald Trump abandoned in May.
The first round of US sanctions targeted Iran’s access to US banknotes and key industries, including cars and carpets.
Iranians are already seeing the effects of the sanctions, with Iran’s currency losing around half its value since Mr Trump announced the US would withdraw from the 2015 nuclear accord.
He blasted the agreement yet again Monday, calling it a “horrible, one-sided deal (that) failed to achieve the fundamental objective of blocking all paths to an Iranian nuclear bomb.”
The withdrawal came despite other parties to the agreement — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the EU — pleading with Mr Trump not to abandon the pact aimed at blocking Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and highlights Mr Trump’s distaste for multilateral agreements.
In an executive order signed on Monday, Mr Trump said the sanctions seek to pile pressure on Tehran to force a “comprehensive and lasting solution” to Iranian threats, including its development of missiles and regional “malign” activities.
The European Union’s diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said the bloc, as well as Britain, France and Germany, deeply regretted Washington’s move.
“We are determined to protect European economic operators engaged in legitimate business with Iran,” she said in a statement.
Many large European firms are leaving Iran for fear of US penalties, and Mr Trump warned of “severe consequences” against firms and individuals that continued to do business with Iran.
The return of sanctions has ramped up tensions inside Iran, which has seen days of protests in multiple towns and cities over water shortages, high prices and wider anger at the political system.
Mr Trump said he is open to more talks with Iran “that addresses the full range of the regime’s malign activities, including its ballistic missile program and its support for terrorism.”
But Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was unimpressed by the offer.
“They want to launch psychological warfare against the Iranian nation,” Rouhani said. “Negotiations with sanctions doesn’t make sense.”
John Glaser, director of foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, noted that the US sees the sanctions “as a tool to pressure Iran to come back to the negotiating table to rehash the nuclear deal on terms more to Trump’s liking. That is not going to happen”.
The second phase of US sanctions, which takes effect on Nov 5 and will block Iran’s oil sales, is due to cause more damage, though several countries including China and India have indicated they are not willing to entirely cut their Iranian energy purchases.