US Treasury Adds Raft Of Iranian Oil Entities To Sanctions List

The US Treasury Department has added a raft of new entities related to Iranian oil and gas production and logistics to its sanctions list.

• The Treasury Department statement can be found here: https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-...
• The sanction action appears to further jeopadises the chances of Iran's return to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear accords. The deal which provides for relief from oil sanctions in exchange for nuclear non-proliferation and independent oversight of the Iranian nuclear programme.
• State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said at a presser yesterday that the United States will continue to pursue a nuclear accord with Iran “…as long as it is in [US] national security interest” but conceded that "another round of talks currently on the books.”
• The US claims that a deal is ready to go but Iran "has consistently introduced extraneous demands, or issues that go beyond the four walls of the JCPOA."
• There has been speculation that JCPOA talks could be kickstarted by US President Joe Biden's tour of the Middle East this month when he has a chance to hold direct talks with key players including Israel and Qatar.