Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, the United States on Monday rejected reports from Iranian state media claiming that President Donald Trump’s administration had proposed a temporary waiver on sanctions targeting Iranian oil exports until a final nuclear deal is reached.
A US official, speaking to CNBC correspondent Megan Cassella, clarified that no such waiver has been granted and dismissed the claims as “false”.
Soon after this, European markets recovered part of their earlier losses, with the STOXX 600 index briefly gaining 0.2 per cent, while Nasdaq 100 futures also pared steep declines.
The United States has continued to enforce a strict sanctions framework on Iran’s oil industry under its “maximum pressure” policy. These restrictions bar US entities from any engagement in Iranian oil trade and also impose penalties on foreign companies, banks, and governments involved in purchasing Iranian crude.
The reports of a potential waiver surfaced amid heightened diplomatic engagement between Washington and Beijing.
This comes hours after Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported, citing source linked to the country’s negotiating team, that the US has agreed to waive sanctions on Iran’s oil exports during the ongoing talks.
However, an Iranian official contacted by Reuters did not immediately respond to the Tasnim report.
A senior Iranian official also told Reuters that Tehran has demanded the release of all frozen Iranian funds. However, Washington has reportedly agreed to unfreeze only 25 per cent of those funds under a phased arrangement.
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Meanwhile, United States and Israel are reportedly preparing for a possible fresh round of military strikes against Iran as early as this week, according to a report published by The New York Times on Monday.
Officials familiar with the matter, speaking anonymously, said Washington and Tel Aviv are carrying out what they described as the “most extensive operational planning" since the fragile ceasefire reached last month. The report noted that the preparations suggest renewed attacks could take place within days, though no official decision has been publicly announced so far.
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The Middle East conflict started following the killing of 86-year-old Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in joint military strikes by the US and Israel, after which Iran, in its retaliation, targeted Israeli and US assets in several Gulf countries and Israel, causing disruption in the waterway and affecting international energy markets and global economic stability since February 28.