The United States would not be renewing the waivers granted on the purchase of Russian and Iranian oil, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a media briefing on Wednesday.
"We will not be renewing the general license on Russian oil and we will not be renewing the general license on Iranian oil. That was oil that was on the water prior to March 11," he said.
Bessent's statement came amid reports of renewed push for peace between the US and Iran, with both sides considering to hold another round of talks in Islamabad. Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, who holds close ties with US President Donald Trump as well as with Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corp, left for Tehran on Wednesday to pitch for mediation.
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The White House, however, denied reports which claimed that the Trump administration reached out to Tehran for an extension of the ceasefire.
"I saw some reporting, again, bad reporting this morning that we had formally requested an extension of the ceasefire. That is not true at this moment. We've remained very much engaged in these negotiations, in these talks. You heard from the Vice President directly and the President this week that these conversations are productive and ongoing, and that's where we are right now," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
"I've also seen some reporting about the potentiality for in-person discussions. Again, those discussions are being had, but nothing is official until you hear it from us here at the White House. But we feel good about the prospects of a deal. The President mentioned that in his interview yesterday. And it's obviously in the best interest of Iran to meet the President's demands. I think he's made his red lines in these negotiations very clear to the other side, and so we are continuing to see how these conversations go," she added.
Notably, the current ceasefire between Iran and the US is scheduled to expire on April 21. The two sides last held 21-hour talks in Islamabad over the weekend, but failed to find a breakthrough.
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