The Trump
administration is to reinstate all US sanctions on Iran that were removed as
part of the 2015 nuclear deal.
However,
eight unnamed countries will not be penalised by the US for continuing to
import Iranian oil.
President
Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in May, describing it as "defective at
its core".
The
agreement saw Iran limit its controversial nuclear activities in exchange for
sanctions relief.
Barack
Obama, the US president at the time, had argued the deal would prevent Iran
from developing nuclear arms.
The UK,
France, Germany, Russia and China were also parties to the 2015 accord and have
stuck to it, saying they will set up a new payment system to maintain business
with Iran and bypass US sanctions.
Mr Trump
argues that the terms of the deal are unacceptable and it has not stopped Iran
developing a ballistic missile programme and intervening in neighbouring countries,
including Syria and Yemen.
Iran has
accused Mr Trump of waging "psychological warfare".
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