White House Orders Halt to New Sanctions Against Tehran
According to webangah News Agency, The Wall Street Journal reported that-per a direct order from the U.S. administration-all federal agencies have suspended sanction-related actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The WSJ opened its report with the question: “Has the White House given Iran an opening?” It claimed that last week, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt issued an order halting all sanction activities against Iran.
The report further alleges that a source close to the White House stated Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran has effectively been paused.this new policy was communicated first to senior National security Council and Treasury Department officials, then relayed to the State Department. Relevant Middle East-focused officials were also informed, though dissemination remains incomplete. The sanctions intersect with U.S. policy toward China-the destination for over 90% of Iran’s oil exports.
the newspaper raised another question: Why was this directive issued by the White House press secretary rather than through national security or Treasury channels? The answer lies in turmoil within Trump’s NSC after over 100 staffers were placed on forced leave; responsibilities for this policy aren’t fully divided between State and VP offices, while CBS reports NSC press teams are dissolving. When pressed about halted sanctions, Levitt’s deputy Anna Kelly neither confirmed nor denied but stated: “Any new decisions will be announced by relevant interagency authorities.”
WSJ asserts this open-ended suspension took immediate effect after routine Treasury sanctions were blocked post-order issuance. Since May 21 (31 Ordibehesht), at least two scheduled sanctions have been shelved-with no new measures announced.
Some Trump officials reportedly view this as deliberately slowing sanctions during sensitive nuclear talks-“overinterpreted” mid-implementation-while others express surprise at key players being sidelined amid broad suspensions.
U.S. authorities allegedly lack clarity on whether this applies only to new sanctions or also restricts enforcement of existing ones; core oil/asset freezes may remain unchanged pending supplementary guidance.
The report notes Trump officials aim to avoid needlessly provoking Iran during negotiations but acknowledge that pressure brought Tehran to talks-and recent U.S.sanctions had just begun gaining traction in disrupting Iranian oil flows to China.
Citing Trump’s The Art of the Deal (“Leverage is yoru greatest strength”), it concludes by questioning whether his administration will now constrain its own pressure tools ahead of potential second-term policies.
