The United States government will not extend the waivers of exemption from Iran’s oil sanctions that were issued six months ago.

In a press conference today, Mike Pompeo announced that the United States will not extend the oil sanction waivers for the eight countries that buy Iranian oil.

Pompeo emphasized that after May 2, no country will be exempted from the oil sanctions against Iran. He once again stated that the goal is to bring Iran’s oil export down to zero.

The eight countries of China, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Greece, and Italy had received 6 months of exemption from U.S sanctions against Iran’s oil in order to have time to find replacement oil providers.

Minutes before Pompeo’s press conference, White House press office issued a statement announcing the president’s decision not to extend the waivers after May 2.

According to the statement, the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates as three of the largest energy producers in the world, along with “other allies” of the United States are committed to replacing for Iran’s oil in the global market.

Some of the points made by Pompeo in the press conference:

• Major oil producers are cooperating with Iran’s former customers to meet their demands. We want to Bring Iran’s oil export to zero. We have told the Ayatollahs about our conditions.
• We support the Iranian people, not any specific group outside of Iran.
• We have provided Iran with a list of 12 demands. If these conditions are met, it would be great, but we have created a massive coalition against Iran.
• Iran’s capacity to cause chaos has decreased.
• Most Iranian leaders including Zarif and Rouhani have accepted the regime’s nature. Therefore, there is no need for distinction between terms such as fundamentalist and reformists and etc. to describe their attitudes.
• The United States is not after a military intervention in Iran.