S.Korea to negotiate waiver for Iranian oil import ban

South Korea is bracing itself for another round of tough talks with the United States on Iranian oil imports, with a focus on convincing the Trump administration of why Seoul should be granted a waiver, a government official said Wednesday.

An inter-agency team of officials, led by Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs Yun Kang-hyeon, plans to visit Washington D.C. later this month for the second formal negotiations on the issue. The previous talks were held in Seoul in June.The U.S. has pressed South Korea and some other nations to cut down its purchase of Iranian oil to zero or face so-called secondary sanctions.

The deadline is Nov. 4, when the 180-day grace period ends.In May, the U.S. announced its exit from the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and plans to reinstate harsh sanctions on the OPEC member.