The United States said on Friday it would allow eight
importers to continue buying Iranian oil when it resumed its sanctions on Iran
on Monday, seeking to force Iran to curb its nuclear and missile programs and
regional activism.
Who is affected by the sanctions that the US imposes
on Iran
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who announced the
decision, did not say what those eight countries, which he referred to as
"jurisdictions," a term that could include importers such as Taiwan,
which the United States does not recognize as a country .
After abandoning the nuclear deal with Iran signed in
2015, US President Donald Trump has been trying to undermine Iran's heavily
oil-dependent economy to force Tehran to retreat not only from its nuclear
ambitions and ballistic missiles, but from its support to militants in Syria,
Yemen, Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East.
On Twitter, in a message to emphasize his policy of
"maximum pressure" on Iran, Trump included a photograph of himself
that mimics movie posters with the caption "Sanctions are Coming -
November 5."
