US exempts 8 countries from Iran oil sanctions

The United States has granted exemptions to eight countries, allowing them to continue buying Iranian oil temporarily, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday, as Washington reimposed sanctions on Iran's banking, energy and shipping industries.

China, India, South Korea, Italy, Greece, Japan, Taiwan and Turkey received a six-month waiver on the US’ resumed sanctions on Iran, he added.

"The US has reimposed its sanctions against Iran and will be relentless in exerting pressure on the regime until it meets the 12 conditions laid out by the Trump administration," Pompeo told a press briefing in Washington.

"Today we are re-imposing all sanctions that were previously lifted under the Iran nuclear deal. This includes sanctions on energy, banking, shipping, and shipbuilding. Due to the sanctions we are announcing today, Iran will have zero oil revenue to spend on terrorism, missile proliferation, regional proxies, or a nuclear program," he added.