The U.S. State Department shot down “inaccurate” reports claiming the Trump administration would soon be granting special sanctions exceptions to give Iran access to cash assets as it struggles to fight the coronavirus, according to information exclusively provided to the Washington Free Beacon.
The United States had “agreed to grant sanctions waivers to some countries allowing them to release frozen Iranian assets in order to help Tehran buy medicine and equipment to fight the coronavirus,” according to a report late Friday in Middle Eastern Eye that cited “sources.” Scores of Iranian assets are currently frozen in many European bank accounts due to the Trump administration’s tough sanctions regime on Iran.
The State Department slapped down these reports as false when asked by the Free Beacon to address the matter.
“These reports are inaccurate,” a State Department official told the Free Beacon. “Despite the regime’s disinformation, the truth is that it already has funds available to it to spend on humanitarian trade that would benefit the Iranian people. Instead, it chooses to spend this money on terrorism and proxy groups. The Iranian people deserve better.”
Iran has been seeking for years to gain access to frozen assets that have been held in escrow across Europe. While the landmark nuclear deal permitted Iran to access billions of dollars in once-frozen funds, the Trump administration’s reimposition of major sanctions cut Iran off from the global financial community. – READ MORE
