US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has left open the possibility of offering Iran sanctions relief in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Asked at a press conference if the US might re-evaluate its punishing sanctions regime, Pompeo answers that “We evaluate all of our policies constantly, so the answer is – would we ever rethink? – Of course,” Reuters reports.
Pompeo notes that medical and humanitarian supplies are already exempt from the sanctions, which were reimposed in 2018 following the US decision to pull out of the nuclear deal.
Earlier Tuesday, European nations used the Instex mechanism for the first time to bypass sanctions and send medical goods to Iran, the German foreign ministry said.
“France, Germany and the United Kingdom confirm that Instex has successfully concluded its first transaction, facilitating the export of medical goods from Europe to Iran. These goods are now in Iran,” the ministry said in a statement.
— with AFP
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From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
