NEW YORK - The Obama administration is trying to address Iranian complaints that U.S. financial regulations are denying Iran the sanctions relief it deserves under last year's landmark nuclear deal.
Meeting with Iran's foreign minister on Friday, Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States would not stand in the way of foreign banks or firms doing business with Iranian companies that are no longer subject to U.S. sanctions.
Kerry also said the administration was willing to further clarify what transactions are now permitted with Iran and urged foreign financial institutions to seek answers from U.S. officials if they have questions. They should not assume, he said, that was once prohibited is still prohibited. Nor, he added, should they assume that transactions with Iran that remain illegal for U.S. companies are illegal for foreign firms.
Kerry's remarks, which came at the start of his second meeting this week with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad JavadZarif, were an attempt to resolve confusion about what is permitted under the nuclear deal in which Iran agreed to curb its atomic program in exchange for billions in sanctions relief. Iran, as well as foreign banks and governments, have been clamoring for clarity, but it was not clear that Kerry's remarks would provide it.(AP)