WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2018) The Trump administration's decision to waive the reimposed Iran-related sanctions for several countries weakens Washington's position and weakens the effects of US sanctions around the world, US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Eliot Engel said on Friday.
Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States would grant temporary waivers to eight countries to allow them to continue importing oil from Iran after November 5.
"Today's announcement weakens our position on Iran and reduces the effectiveness of American sanctions all over the world," Engel said in a statement.
The congressman added waiving the sanctions will "line Iran's coffers, which could allow the regime to continue its support for terrorism and other destabilizing behavior across the region."
While the United States needs to be tough on Iran, leaving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) gave away guaranteed assurances that Iran would abide by the monitoring that was in the agreement, Engel said.
He added that despite the JCPOA's flaws, it was a mistake to leave the international nuclear deal with Iran.
In May, Trump announced the United States' withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement and consequent reinstatement of sanctions that had previously been lifted under the nuclear deal. Washington re-introduced a first round of sanctions against Iran in August. The second round of sanctions, targeting Iran's oil sector, is set to take effect on November 5.
