Karimi & Associates Law Firm presents according to Financial Times:
Antony Blinken, secretary of state, said that the US was lifting sanctions on three former Iranian government officials and two companies previously involved in the Iranian petrochemical sector as a result of “a verified change in status or behavior on the part of the sanctioned parties”. “These actions demonstrate our commitment to lifting sanctions in the event of a change in status or behavior by sanctioned persons,” Blinken said in a statement.
The decision marked the first time the Biden administration has relaxed any sanctions against Iran. In 2018, Donald Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 multi-party nuclear pact that imposed limits on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for loosening sanctions. The Biden administration is seeking to re-enter the nuclear pact and has embarked on several rounds of indirect negotiations with Iran in Vienna, although it is yet to deliver a breakthrough. Tehran has repeatedly demanded Washington lift sanctions before it agrees to curb its nuclear program.
Those removed from the US Treasury’s list of specially designated nationals included former senior officials at the National Iranian Oil Company and groups that supported the sanctioned petrochemicals sector.
The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control places individuals and entities on the list for national security, foreign policy, and sanctions policy objectives. According to a senior administration official, the decision to delist some entities from the extensive US sanctions regime was made after Iranian entities requested a review that was professionally executed. While the official said the removal was not related to continuing efforts with the Vienna talks, it showed the US “could act in good faith”. “It shows that this administration. . . will lift sanctions when warranted.” the official said.