US Temporarily Lifts Oil Sanctions, Iran Denounces "Psychological Warfare"

Why does AI say Iran calls U.S. actions psychological warfare?

Reference News Network, March 21 According to AFP on March 20, the U.S. Treasury temporarily lifted sanctions on Iranian oil shipped before March 20. This is Washington’s latest move to curb the oil supply crisis triggered by Middle East conflicts.

Reportedly, the U.S. Treasury issued a statement on the 20th stating that this authorization allows the transportation and sale of crude oil and other petroleum products already on Iranian ships, valid until April 19.

Previously, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen mentioned considering this move on the 19th.

Before the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took this action, the U.S. had similarly lifted sanctions on Russian oil at sea. The authorization on the 20th does not apply to shipments to Cuba, North Korea, or Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

According to TASS on March 20, an Iranian Oil Ministry spokesperson responded to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s proposal to lift sanctions on Iranian oil, stating that Iran currently has no oil tankers loaded at sea and no surplus energy available for export.

The Iranian Oil Ministry pointed out, “Currently, Iran has almost no oil tankers loaded at sea, and no surplus oil available for export to the international market.” Iran regards the U.S. official’s proposal as “psychological warfare by the U.S. Treasury.” Mehr News Agency quoted the Oil Ministry spokesperson as saying, “Yellen’s statement is purely to give hope to buyers and control market psychology.”

On March 19, Yellen stated that the U.S. government is considering lifting sanctions on Iranian oil, claiming this is to “deal with Iran.” She said, “In the coming days, we may exclude already-shipped Iranian oil from sanctions. About 140 million barrels. Depending on the calculation method, this is equivalent to 10 to 14 days of supply.” The U.S. Treasury Secretary said this is “using Iranian oil to deal with Iran itself.” (Compiled by Qiu Fang and He Yingjun)