Iran Says US Shows ‘Some Flexibility’ on Easing Oil Bans

According to Araqchi, the issue was raised in a recent meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump in the French city of Biarritz.

“Macron met with Trump during the G7 meeting, where the US side showed some flexibility in the licensing of Iranian oil sales,” Araqchi said on Saturday.

“This is a breach in the US maximum pressure policy and a success for Iran’s policy of maximum resistance,” he noted.

Iran is currently reducing its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which the US withdrew from last year.

The country has implemented the first and second phases of reducing its commitments, and is preparing to begin the third phase in coming days, unless the European Union fulfils its side of the bargain, and Iran could reap the benefits of the multilateral agreement.

Otherwise, Iran has warned that it may push forward with 20% uranium enrichment and resume previous activities at the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor in the third nuclear commitment containment.

As a first step, Iran increased its enriched uranium stockpile to beyond the 300 kilograms set by the JCPOA. In the second step, Tehran began enriching uranium to purity rates beyond the JCPOA-limit of 3.76 percent.

The Europeans have already missed two 60-day deadline set by Tehran, prompting Iran to go for the third phase of cutting its commitments on September 6, which will mark the start of a third such deadline for them.