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US cuts Iran oil waivers in move to force Tehran out of nuclear deal

Washington is letting sanctions waivers for countries that import Iranian oil expire as it tries to make Iran quit the 2015 nuclear deal before a UN arms embargo is lifted next year as part of the agreement.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a press conference at the US Department of State in Washington, DC on April 22, 2019. - The United States announced on Monday it will no longer grant sanctions exemptions to Iran's oil customers, potentially punishing allies such as India as it tries to squeeze Tehran's top export. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)        (Photo credit should read ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — The Donald Trump administration will not renew sanctions waivers next month for eight countries to continue imports of Iranian oil, it announced today, in a move key American allies interpreted as an effort to get Iran to quit the 2015 nuclear deal that the United States withdrew from last year.

“The goal remains simple: to deprive the outlaw regime of the funds it has used to destabilize the Middle East,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told journalists at the State Department today.

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