 "India, China may face US sanctions on Iran oil")
A US state department official has revealed the names of twelve countries that could be subjected to US sanctions, unless they significantly cut purchases of Iranian oil.
The State Department official said that the two countries most likely to face US sanctions are China and India, the top two importers of Iran’s crude oil. South Korea, the fourth-largest buyer is also on the list.
[caption id=“attachment_252190” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Countries that won the exemptions have a six-month reprieve from the threat of being cut off from the US financial system under sanctions designed to pressure Iran over its nuclear program. Reuters”]
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However, the department has officially released only the number of countries - but not their names - after saying that the United States would grant exemptions to the sanctions to Japan and 10 European Union nations that have cut shipments of Iranian oil.
Countries that won the exemptions have a six-month reprieve from the threat of being cut off from the US financial system under sanctions designed to pressure Iran over its nuclear program, which the West suspects is intended to produce weapons.
Iran says that its program is solely to generate power.
A government source who is not in the State Department earlier gave Reuters a list of 13 countries that did not get an exemption on Tuesday and could be subject to the sanctions. That list included Morocco.
The State Department official, however, said that its information was that Morocco last bought Iranian crude oil in June 2010 and therefore was not among the 12 that may face the sanctions.
However, the official stressed that the list of countries which could be subject to sanctions was a dynamic process and that countries could be added, or dropped, as additional information becomes available.
Reuters