The United States is about to reinstate sanctions against Iran. Here is what it means: NPR

It remains about two days before all US sanctions resume its place against Iran. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters Friday that next Monday at noon, the economic sanctions imposed on the Iranian regime will return to levels never seen since the United States negotiated the multilateral nuclear agreement of 2015.

The move is aimed at "depriving the regime of the income that it uses to spread death and destruction around the world," Pompeo said. "Our ultimate goal is to force Iran to permanently abandon its well-documented law-enforcement activities and to behave like a normal country."

Seen in broad outline, the announcement Friday is not a surprise.

Since May, when President Trump pledged to unilaterally withdraw the United States from the joint global plan of action, his administration has telegraphed his intention to reinstate the sanctions that had been lifted under the Seven-Country Pact. The administration has already adopted a series of major sanctions in August; Now, he is restoring all the sanctions – and even adds hundreds of names to the list, according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

"The Treasury Department will add more than 700 names to our list of blocked entities," said Mnuchin, who joined Pompeo during the conference call with reporters. "This includes hundreds of goals that had already been lightened in the JCPOA, as well as more than 300 new designations – that's a lot more than we had done before."

That being said, the Trump administration is considering granting temporary exceptions to eight "jurisdictions", which, according to Pompeo, will obtain a six-month US penalty waiver while "ending" their oil activity with the US. 'Iran.

Just days before the recovery, the Trump administration announcement provides an opportunity to step back, understand the context – and answer some important questions about the move:

What specifically comes into effect Monday?
Why do the United States offer exemptions to certain countries?
What is the purpose of the Trump administration?
How does Iran react?
What is happening with the Iranian nuclear deal now?

What specifically comes into effect Monday?

As part of the 2015 nuclear deal, the Obama administration has lifted a host of sanctions aimed at the Iranian economy. This decision was a relief for Iran, nowhere more than in its oil and banking sectors: the Iranian oil companies have access to the European and Asian markets again, and the country had access to some 100 billion dollars. assets stranded overseas.

When the Trump government reapplied the first round of major sanctions earlier this year, it lifted trade barriers involving Iran's metals, as well as its auto and airline industries. But the sanctions imposed by the sanctions on the Iranian oil and banking sectors are the most important – and these are precisely the areas that his government is targeting on Monday.

The White House said it was targeting major oil exporters, transport companies and major Iranian banks, including the country's central bank and other financial institutions. And it will also "target those who try to violate or bypass [the sanctions]. "

"One hundred percent of the revenues from the sale of crude oil that Iran receives will be held in foreign currency accounts and can only be used by Iran for humanitarian trade or bilateral trade in goods and services. not sanctioned, "explained Pompeo.

The additional sanctions are aimed at "cutting the revenues the regime uses to finance terrorist groups, fomenting global instability, funding nuclear and ballistic missile programs and enriching its leaders".

All trade with Iran, however, will not be prohibited.

The White House plans to continue to allow the sale of humanitarian goods to Iran – such as food products, medicines and raw agricultural products. Last month, the country's highest court ruled that the United States could not impose sanctions on humanitarian goods entering Iran.

Why do the United States offer exemptions to certain countries?

Ideally, the White House wants all its trading partners to cut all their oil purchases from Iran. In fact, even if a country wishes to fully comply with this demand, it will take some time to look for other providers of such a crucial resource.

As Reuters reports, some of Iran's major customers – including China and Turkey – oppose the US order, saying there is not enough oil in other countries to meet their demand.

The Trump administration says it offers eight governments a temporary reprieve – but "only because they have drastically reduced their crude oil and cooperated on many other fronts, and have taken important steps to achieve a zero import of crude oil, "said Pompeo. added on Friday.

He noted that two of the eight have finally decided to completely stop Iranian oil imports, while the others have agreed to "import at greatly reduced levels".

Pompeo refused to identify the eight "jurisdictions" that were subject to derogations, although he said that the European Union as a whole would not be part of them. He added that the list would be released Monday when the sanctions would be applied again.

What is the purpose of the Trump administration?

The primary objective is to prevent the Iranian government from obtaining liquidity.

Pompeo calls this a "maximum pressure" campaign, intended to ensure that Iran does not have the funds to support groups that the United States considers to be destabilizing influences in the Middle East. This includes the Islamist militant group based in Lebanon Hezbollah; Houthi rebels in Yemen; and Syrian President Bashar Assad.

And eventually, the White House hopes to force Iran to return to the negotiating table to forge a new nuclear deal. Officials said Trump was willing to meet with Iranian leaders to help broker the deal – but only if conditions are more favorable for the United States.

The administration claims that the application of sanctions has already deprived Iran of some $ 2 billion in recent months and that the Iranian economy is in crisis. Pompeo, however, was careful to note that Washington's actions "target the regime, not the people of Iran".

The United States said they were not seeking to overthrow the Iranian regime, but they repeatedly encouraged the Iranians to demonstrate against their government and called for "a huge change." This could eventually lead to widespread unrest or even severe repression by Iranian leaders.

How does Iran react?

Of course, no one was more critical of the sanctions than the Iranian leaders.

"Unfortunately, the United States, in raising unsubstantiated claims and in complete disregard for its international obligations, abandoned the nuclear agreement and imposed extraterritorial and unilateral sanctions on Iran and, by extension, on from other countries, "Iranian President Hassan Rouhani wrote in the Financial Times on Thursday.

And he referred to UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the nuclear agreement shortly after its finalization in 2015.

"The United States is actually threatening states seeking to comply with resolution 2231 with punitive measures," added Rouhani. "This is a travesty of international decisions and the blackmail of responsible parties seeking to enforce them."

On Friday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry projected an air of confidence and disdain for the US decision.

"America will not be able to take any action against our great and courageous nation," Bahram Qasemi, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, told Reuters. "We have the knowledge and the ability to manage the country's economic affairs."

Part of that confidence comes from the fact that only the United States withdrew from the transaction. The rest of the seven signatories remain committed – which raises one last question …

What is happening with the Iranian nuclear deal now?

Iran signed the agreement in 2015 with the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, China and Germany, and the US Security Council approved it shortly. time after. At this point, the United States is the only party to have abandoned the multilateral agreement.

This is partly because the International Atomic Energy Agency, whose inspectors have monitored the destruction of much of Iran's nuclear fuel production equipment, has repeatedly reiterated times that Iran complied with the terms of the agreement.

Despite the White House's objections to the agreement, namely that it is not severe enough and that it will expire in a decade, many analysts have claimed that it actually prevented Iran from making nuclear weapons.

The agreement "is working and achieving its goal," said representatives of the EU, France, Germany and the UK in a joint statement released on Friday.

"We remain committed to implementing JCPoA in accordance with international agreements and our common international security, and expect Iran to play a constructive role in this regard".

Nevertheless, the new American sanctions will make it much more difficult for Iran to obtain money, it is the main incentive of Iran to sign the agreement. Other countries that still support the agreement warn that if Iran sees its benefits diminish, it could expel the IAEA and revive its nuclear program.