NEW YORK, June 2. /TASS/. The White House has ordered a pause in the introduction of new sanctions against Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources.
According to the newspaper, last week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt sent a directive to the State Department, the Treasury Department, and the National Security Council demanding "to pause all new sanctions activity toward Iran." As a result, US President Donald Trump's campaign to exert "maximum pressure" on Iran has effectively stalled.
Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly did not directly refute this information in her comments to the newspaper, but said that "any new decisions with regard to sanctions will be announced by the White House or relevant agencies within the administration." Washington last imposed sanctions on Tehran on May 21, and the Treasury Department has postponed announcing new sanctions at least twice since then, according to the newspaper.
The main restrictions on oil sales and frozen Iranian assets are likely to remain in place. However, some Trump administration officials are concerned about the lack of clarity regarding the duration and scope of this pause. Some officials believe that the purpose of this approach is to carefully analyze future restrictive measures in light of negotiations on Iran's nuclear program, The Wall Street Journal said.
On May 30, US President Donald Trump said that Washington and Tehran could reach a deal on Iran's nuclear program in the near future. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted that the countries are still far from reaching an agreement.
On May 23, Iranian and US representatives held the fifth round of talks on Tehran’s nuclear program in Rome. The Omani foreign minister, who is mediating between the two sides, reported that "some, but not final, progress" had been made. After the consultations, his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran and Washington are preparing for a new round of talks and hope to achieve positive results in one or two meetings.