(Adds Japanese reaction to exemption)
By Arshad Mohammed and Andrew Quinn
WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) – The United States on
Tuesday exempted Japan and 10 EU nations from financial
sanctions because they have significantly cut purchases of
Iranian crude oil, but left Iran’s top customers China and India
exposed to the possibility of such steps.
The decision is a victory for the 11 countries, whose banks
have been given a six-month reprieve from the threat of being
cut off from the U.S. financial system under new sanctions
designed to pressure Iran over its nuclear program.
The list did not, however, include China and India, Iran’s
top two crude oil importers, nor U.S. allies South Korea and
Turkey, which are among the top-10 consumers of Iranian oil.
Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi welcomed the decision
and said Japan would continue to cut its imports of Iranian oil
at a set rate in the future.
“The decision takes account of Japan’s steps on Iranian oil,
including its future response,” he told reporters at a regular
briefing.
A U.S. official held up Japan’s estimated 15-22 percent cut
in oil purchases from Iran in the second half of last year as an
example for other nations, saying it did so after the “tragedy”
of the earthquake that caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
“Japan was a model,” State Department Special Envoy and
Coordinator for International Energy Affairs Carlos Pascual told
lawmakers. “If Japan was able to do what it did … that should
be an example to others that they could potentially do more.”
Continued…
