(Adds waivers granted by U.S., Clinton quote)
WASHINGTON, June 11 (Reuters) – The United States will
exempt India, South Korea and five other economies from
financial sanctions in return for significantly cutting
purchases of Iranian oil, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
said on M on day.
China and Singapore did not receive such waivers, putting
pressure on Iran’s top oil buyer and a major blender of the
country’s fuel oil, respectively.
Turkey, South Africa, Taiwan, Malaysia and Sri Lanka will
also be exempted from the sanctions, Clinton said.
The sanctions, which the United States may impose starting
June 28, aim to strangle Iran’s nuclear program by cutting
funding from its oil industry. The United States and the
European Union believe Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons.
Tehran says the program is strictly for civilian purposes.
“By reducing Iran’s oil sales, we are sending a decisive
message to Iran’s leaders: until they take concrete actions to
satisfy the concerns of the international community, they will
continue to face increasing isolation and pressure,” Clinton
said in a release.
Banks and other institutions in the economies that received
waivers will be given a six-month break from the threat of being
cut off from the U.S. financial system under sanctions signed
late last year by President Barack Obama.
Although China did not immediately receive a waiver, it does
not necessarily follow that the United States will impose
sanctions on the country from June 28.
It was not immediately clear why China failed to get the
exemption. However, backers of tough sanctions on Tehran believe
China has received clandestine cargoes of oil from Iran, which
has disabled tracking devices on some of its shipments.
In March, the United States granted exceptions to Japan and
10 EU countries for significantly cutting purchases of Iranian
petroleum.
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner, Susan Cornwell, Roberta Rampton
and Andrew Quinn; Editing by Sandra Maler and Dale Hudson)
