US unveils first Iran oil sanctions after 12-day war truce

The United States has issued a new wave of sanctions against Iranian oil exports the first penalties against Tehrans energy sector since a Washingtonbacked ceasefire between Israel and Iran came into effect last month Al Jazeera reportedAmong those targeted by the sanctions announced on Thursday are Iraqi businessman Salim Ahmed Said and his United Arab Emiratesbased company which the US accused of smuggling Iranian oil by blending it with Iraqi oilIrans behavior has left it decimated While it has had every opportunity to choose peace its leaders have chosen extremism US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statementTreasury will continue to target Tehrans revenue sources and intensify economic pressure to disrupt the regimes access to the financial resources that fuel its destabilizing activitiesAfter the ceasefire was reached on June 24 US President Donald Trump said China could buy Iranian oil suggesting the US might lift its sanctions on Tehrans energy exportsBut the promise was shortlived Trump wrote in a social media post last week that he immediately dropped all work on sanction relief in response to statements by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei claiming victory over IsraelThe US president also said he stopped Israel from assassinating Khamenei saving him from a VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATHIsraeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had said Israel sought to kill Khamenei but there was no operational opportunity for the assassinationIsrael launched air strikes against Iran without direct provocation on June 13 killing hundreds of Iranians including civilians and top military officialsThe US joined the Israeli campaign and attacked three Iranian nuclear sites Iran responded with missile strikes against Israel and an attack on an airbase housing US soldiers in QatarTrump claimed the US air raids obliterated Irans nuclear facilitiesOn Wednesday the Pentagon said the US bombing operation set back Irans nuclear programme by one to two yearsBut it is not clear where Irans stockpiles of highly enriched uranium areThe country passed a law last month to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA over the agencys failure to condemn the US and Israeli attacksThe move has sparked rebukes by the US and several European countriesOn Thursday Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei suggested Iran is in indirect contact with the US through Oman and Qatar to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis Al Jazeera reportedDiplomacy must not be abused or used as a tool for deception or for simply a sort of psychological warfare against their adversaries Baghaei told Sky NewsHe added that Tehran feels its diplomatic efforts have been betrayedHours before Israel started the war last month Trump reiterated a US commitment to diplomacyAnd days before the US attacks he said he would make a decision on joining the war within two weeks to allow talks between Iran and European powers Al Jazeera reportedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever