Report: U.S. to Let Iran Resume Oil Sales Immediately After Deal Is Signed

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday evening that the Trump administration plans to give Iran immediate sanctions relief on oil exports as part of an emerging agreement to end the war. The reported package would let Tehran begin selling oil and fuel as soon as the deal is signed this week, with the aim of encouraging Iran to keep negotiating with Washington.

The relief would also cover the financial and logistical services needed to move the oil, including banking, shipping and insurance. According to sources familiar with the talks, the measure is meant as an early economic incentive to reduce the confrontation and keep the talks moving.

The report said the broader deal would also include a long-term ceasefire, lifting restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz, and continued negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. U.S. officials said the sanctions rollback would not be open-ended, and further relief would depend on Iran meeting American demands, including steps on the nuclear file and opening the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran is not expected to receive full access yet to its frozen assets. Trump administration figures were said to have discussed giving Tehran access to part of roughly $100 billion in frozen funds, as well as creating a $300 billion reconstruction fund for war damage. The move has drawn criticism from political figures in the United States and Israel, who say it would give up a major source of leverage over Tehran. At the same time, the administration believes the economic incentive is necessary to secure additional concessions. The group United Against Nuclear Iran said it identified an Iranian supertanker that left the port of Chabahar and crossed the American blockade in the Gulf of Oman, the first such case since the blockade was imposed in April.