Trump administration to eliminate Iran oil

ट्रंप के ऐलान से तेल में फिर उफान

अमेरिका के राष्ट्रपति डाॅनल्ड ट्रंप ने ईरान से कच्चे तेल के आयात पर आगे किसी देश को कोई छूट नहीं देने का फैसला किया है। अमेरिका के इस कदम का भारत की ऊर्जा सुरक्षा पर गंभीर असर पड़ सकता है। अमेरिका के इस फैसले के कारण अंतरराष्ट्रीय बाजार में कच्चे तेल की कीमत करीब 3 फीसदी चढ़कर 74 डाॅलर प्रति बैरल के पार पहुंच गया। यह कच्चे तेल का छह महीने का उच्चतम स्तर है। व्हाइट हाउस की प्रवक्ता सारा सैंडर्स ने कहा कि ट्रंप ने मई की शुरूआत में खत्म होने जा रही छूट को आगे नहीं बढ़ाने का फैसल किया है। इसका मकसद ईरान के तेल निर्यात को बिल्कुल बंद करना है और वहां की सरकार को राजस्व के मुख्य स्त्रोत से वंचित करना है।

अमेरिका और ईरान के बीच 2015 में परमाणु समझौते हुआ था लेकिन ट्रंप ने इससे हटाने का फैसला किया था। इसके बाद पिछले साल नवंबर में ईरान पर फिर से प्रतिबंध लगाए थे। लेकिन भारत सहित आठ देशों को ईरान से तेल आयात करने के लिए 180 दिन की छूट दी गई थी। ट्रंप के फैसले के कारण भारत सहित सभी देशों को दो मई के बाद ईरान से कच्चे तेल के आयात में कमी लानी होगी। ग्रीस, ईटली, जापान, दक्षिण कोरिया और ताइवान पहले ही ईरान से तेल के आयात में भारी कटौती कर चुके हैं।इराक और सऊदी अरब के बाद सबसे ज्यादा तेल ईरान से ही भारत आता है। अप्रैल 2017 से जनवरी 2018 तक ईरान ने 1.84 करोड़ टन तेल की आपूर्ति की थी। सरकारी सूत्रों के मुताबिक भारत अभी अमेरिका के इस फैसले से होने वाले असर का अध्ययन कर रहा है। सैंडर्स ने कहा कि अमेरिका, सऊदी अरब और संयुक्त अरब अमीरात के साथ-साथ सहयोगी देश यह सुनिश्चित करेंगे कि तेल आपूर्ति में कोई कमी न आए।

• भारत सहित आठ देशों को मिली थी छूट
• 2 मई को खत्म हो रही 180 दिन की मियाद
• चीन ने किया विरोध, भारत कर रहा स्थिति पर विचार

सौजन्यः बिज़नेस स्टैडंर्ड

Trump administration to eliminate Iran oil waivers after May 2 expiration

The current set of waivers — issued to China, India, Japan, South Korea, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Taiwan — expire on May 2

The Trump administration won’t renew the waivers that let countries buy Iranian crude oil without facing U.S. sanctions, according to four people familiar with the matter, a move that could roil energy markets and risks upsetting major importers such as India and China.

Secretary of State Michael Pompeo will announce the decision on Monday morning, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing a plan that hasn’t been formally unveiled. The current set of waivers — issued to China, India, Japan, South Korea, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Taiwan — expire on May 2.

The administration also will announce commitments from other suppliers, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, that will offset the loss of Iranian crude on the market, according to two of the people.

The decision not to renew the waivers is a victory for National Security Advisor John Bolton and his allies who had argued that U.S. promises to get tough on Iran were meaningless with waivers still in place. Pompeo and his team had been more cautious, though they also had argued that the market was well-enough supplied to ramp up the pressure on Iran.

“The maximum pressure campaign could not be maximalist until the administration cut off Iran’s oil exports,” said Mark Dubowitz, the chief executive officer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a supporter of additional sanctions on Iran. “With this decision, Iran’s economy will be under severe pressure as its hard currency earnings dry up and its foreign exchange reserves plummet.”

The State Department declined to comment on Sunday night. One of the people said that President Donald Trump had briefed Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and U.A.E. Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed on the decision in phone calls in the last few days. The U.S. decision was reported earlier by the Washington Post.

Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers almost a year ago and revived a range of sanctions against Iran and any countries doing business with the Islamic Republic. But he and his top advisers have been wary of roiling energy markets — and spurring a hike in prices at the pump in the U.S. For that reason, they allowed waivers for Iran’s biggest buyers of crude, including China, India and Turkey.

One of the people said that some of the countries that had previously received waivers would be given a little more time to wind down purchases. The person described that not as a waiver but more as a brief grace period.

Bolton and officials in the Energy Department argue that it’s time for the administration to make good on its desire to push Iran’s oil exports to zero. Pompeo’s team, led by Iran special representative Brian Hook, cautioned that a sudden removal of Iranian crude from the market — about 1.1 million barrels a day could fuel volatility and lead to a price spike.

“We certainly aren’t looking to grant any exceptions or waivers,” Hook said in an interview this month with Kevin Cirilli on Bloomberg Radio’s “Sound On.” Oil markets are better supplied this year than last, and that “puts us in a better position to accelerate the path to zero,” he said.

The risk now is the decision could spike crude prices just as Trump begins to gear up to campaign for a second term. His administration had been wary of doing anything that could push crude prices above $70 a barrel, but as of Friday, the price of Brent was at $72.

The administration had also faced growing pressure from Iran hawks in the Senate, including Ted Cruz of Texas and Tom Cotton of Arkansas, to cut waivers to zero. Some senators had threatened to hold up administration nominees if the waivers stayed in place and argued that continuing to grant exemptions would be a direct contradiction of the Trump administration’s decision to leave the Iran deal.

Courtesy: Business Standard