US slaps new sanctions on Iran’s energy sector
Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rolled out a fresh wave of sanctions targeting Iran’s energy sector, intensifying Washington’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran.
Rubio doubled down on the
administration’s stance, vowing that President Donald Trump remains determined
to “drive Iran’s illicit oil and petrochemical exports — including shipments to
China — down to zero.”
The latest sanctions hit seven
entities tied to the trade of Iranian oil and petrochemical products. Among
them are two vessels linked to a previously blacklisted maritime management
firm that played a central role in moving Iranian crude.
A State Department fact sheet revealed
that five of the sanctioned companies are headquartered in the United Arab
Emirates.
Rubio warned that the US would keep
pressuring Iran and any partners skirting sanctions “as long as Iran continues
to generate oil and petrochemical revenue to bankroll its destabilizing
activities, terrorist networks, and regional proxies.”
Meanwhile, a fourth round of US-Iran
nuclear talks is slated to begin Saturday in Muscat, with previous rounds
reportedly leaving negotiators cautiously optimistic.
