Iran Press/America: Pompeo met with 15 leaders last Monday at the Renaissance Dallas Hotel, according to Axios, citing three sources who were in the room, one of whom took detailed notes.
During the meeting, Pompeo reportedly was asked, if regime change does not occur internally what is the endgame?
In response, according to the site, Pompeo responded that the administration is careful not to use the language of regime change and that the Donald Trump administration does not plan to intervene militarily in Iran.
Beyond ruling out military intervention, Pompeo was vague about the administration’s plans regarding Iran, according to Axios.
Pompeo also reportedly told the group that there are no guarantees US sanctions would not hurt the people of Iran, according to Axios.
US to announce end to Iran sanctions waivers, oil prices spike
The United States is expected to announce on Monday that all buyers of Iranian oil will have to end their imports shortly or face sanctions, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters, triggering about a 3 percent rise in crude prices.
The source confirmed a report by a Washington Post columnist that the administration will terminate the sanctions waivers it granted to some importers of Iranian oil late last year.
US carves out exceptions for foreigners dealing with IRGC
The United States has largely carved out exceptions so that foreign governments, firms and NGOs do not automatically face US sanctions for dealing with Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps after the group’s designation by Washington as a foreign terrorist group, according to three current and three former US officials.
The exemptions, granted by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and described by a State Department spokesman in response to questions from Reuters, mean officials from countries such as Iraq who may have dealings with Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, or IRGC, would not necessarily be denied US visas.
The exceptions to US sanctions would also permit foreign executives who do business in Iran as well as humanitarian groups working in regions such as northern Syria, Iraq and Yemen, to do so without fear they will automatically trigger US laws on dealing with a foreign terrorist group.
The move is the latest in which the administration of US President Donald Trump has staked out a hardline position on Iran, insisting for example that Iran’s oil customers cut their imports of Iranian petroleum to zero, only to grant waivers allowing them keep buying it.
On May 2018, the US President Donald Trump withdrew from 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement, Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and re-imposed the sanctions that had been lifted under the accord.
Washington reinstated a series of unilateral sanctions against Iran in early August and re-impose a second batch in November which as Trump said the goal was bring Iranian oil export to zero.
But for neutralizing oil market shock and stopping rising oil prices, Washington grant waivers to eight Iranian oil buyers when the sanctions on oil imports started in November. Exceptions granted for up to 180 days.101/202/213
Read More:
More Sanctions, No New Oil Waivers: US point man of Iran
