UAE minister says Iran’s aggression to blame for renewed US sanctions
Anwar Gargash cites Tehran’s ‘aggressive policies’ as largely responsible for reintroduction of punitive measures that were lifted under 2015 nuclear deal
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The United Arab Emirates’ Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash said Saturday that Iran’s “aggressive policies” were “largely responsible” for the US decision to reimpose sanctions against the Islamic Republic, according to Reuters.
The UAE along with Saudi Arabia have adopted a more confrontational approach to Shiite rival Iran in recent years, accusing it of supporting terror groups and fueling turmoil in regional countries.
The two Sunni states head a military coalition in Yemen aimed at toppling the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group and returning the internationally recognized government to power.
On Friday, the US announced that it will reintroduce sanctions against Tehran that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal. They are the second batch the administration has reimposed since it withdrew from the international accord in May.
The rollback, which will go into effect on Monday, ends US participation in the nuclear deal, which now hangs in the balance as Iran no longer enjoys any relief from sanctions imposed by the world’s largest economy.
Shortly after the announcement, US President Donald Trump tweeted a poster-like image of himself in a play on TV show Game of Thrones, with the phrase “Sanctions are Coming, November 5.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 2, 2018
With limited exceptions, the sanctions will hit countries that do not stop importing Iranian oil and foreign firms that do business with blacklisted Iranian entities, including its central bank, a number of private financial institutions, and state-run port and shipping firms, as well as hundreds of individual Iranian officials.
The waivers will be valid for six months, during which time the importing country can buy Iranian oil but must deposit Iran’s revenue in an escrow account. Iran can spend the money but only on a narrow range of humanitarian items. Pompeo said two of the eight countries would wind down imports to zero within weeks.
The Times of Israel Community.