Iranian oil sanctions relief, 2026
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Iranian oil sanctions relief, 2026 refers to the American move, during the 2026 Iran war, to lift sanctions on Iranian oil at sea. The sequence was put to John Kiriakou as an absurdity, that after years of sanctions the United States went to war against Iran and then had to un-sanction its oil because prices were rising, and he agreed there was something to it.

What he added was the currency dimension. Donald Trump had been "talking tough about, you know, we're going to have to just tighten our belts, we're going to have to just pay a little bit extra, we're going to have to be all in this together." Then an Indian ship paid for its cargo in yuan, and the Iranians told it that it was free to pass.

The American objection, in Kiriakou's rendering, was existential rather than legal, "wait a minute, the oil has to be paid for in dollars, otherwise it's going to crash our economy", and the Iranian reply was "tough luck for you." His account of what followed is one sentence: "So then we lifted sanctions on Iranian oil."

The transit fees Iran charged shipping during the same period are treated at Strait of Hormuz transit fees.

See also

- Strait of Hormuz transit fees
- Strait of Hormuz
- 2026 Iran war economic shock
- Sanctions and the Russian adjustment
