EU Special Mechanism Not to Impact US Maximum Pressure on Iran - State Dept.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States does not expect the European Union-created special-purpose vehicle (SPV) to affect Washington’s campaign of exerting maximum pressure on Iran, a US Department of State spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday.

"We do not expect the SPV will in any way impact our maximum economic pressure campaign", the spokesperson said. "We are closely following reports about the SPV to gain additional details about the mechanism".

READ MORE: Europe Prepares to Help Trade With Iran Despite US Sanctions — Reports

The spokesperson added that as US President Donald Trump has made clear, "entities that continue to engage in sanctionable activity involving Iran risk severe consequences that could include losing access to the US financial system and the ability to do business with the United States or US companies."

Following the US withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal and re-imposing of the American sanctions against Tehran, the EU attempted to create the Special Purpose Vehicle in a bid to give European companies a way to trade with the Islamic Republic without being threatened by US sanctions.

Recently Maja Kocijancic, a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, announced that preparations for the alternative money system between Tehran and Brussels were "at an advanced stage" and vowed the launch would be declared "very soon".