By Daphne Psaledakis
WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) – The United States is reviewing all existing sanctions waivers that provide Iran any degree of economic relief, and urging the Iraqi government to eliminate its dependence on Iranian sources of energy as soon as possible, the U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Thursday.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce made the comments at her first briefing under President Donald Trump’s administration when she was asked whether a sanctions waiver that allows Iraq to pay Iran for electricity would be renewed or not.
“We have nothing to announce with regard to the current electricity waiver that expires on the (March) eighth…We are reviewing all existing sanctions waivers that provide Iran any degree of economic or financial relief,” she said.
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“We are urging the Iraqi government to eliminate its dependence on Iranian sources of energy as soon as possible, and welcome the Iraqi Prime Minister’s commitment to achieve energy independence.”
The U.S. government has said it wants to isolate Iran from the global economy and eliminate its oil export revenues in order to slow Iran‘s development of a nuclear weapon.
Trump’s restoration of the “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran was one of his first acts after returning to office in late January.
The U.S. has imposed a range of sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program and support for militant organizations, effectively banning countries that do business with Iran from doing business with the U.S.
Iran views its neighbor and ally Iraq, a key partner to both the United States and Iran, as vital for keeping its economy afloat amidst sanctions.
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(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
