A gas flare on an oil production platform in the Soroush oil fields is seen alongside an Iranian flag in the Gulf. Raheb Homavandi, Reuters
CNN: US braced for Iranian response as oil crackdown starts
Washington (CNN)The US is sanctioning friends and foes that import Iranian oil starting Thursday, but analysts say the White House might find it harder to eliminate Tehran's energy exports than it expects and Trump administration officials are bracing for Iran's response.
As the administration ends waivers that allowed eight countries to continue purchasing Iranian crude and condensate, one administration official told CNN that they are concerned about the response from Tehran, which could target US assets in the Middle East and escalate tensions with the US and in the region.
The administration has cut deeply into Iranian oil exports in a very short time, analysts say, and the waiver elimination aims to cut them off completely. US officials are wary, however, that countries will work to find ways around potential sanctions, through smuggling and the use of corporations with little connection to the US financial system.
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WNU Editor: Sanctions have already hit Iran hard .... Six charts that show how hard US sanctions have hit Iran (BBC)
More News On U.S. Ending Waivers For Countries Who Buy Oil From Iran
US launches plan to choke off Iran’s energy exports, casting uncertainty over oil prices -- CNBC
Iran Readies For Attack As US Waivers On Iranian Oil Expire -- OilPrice.com
How Iran is mishandling the fallout of the US sanctions -- Nikolay Kozhanov, Al Jazeera
