The U.S. envoy for Iran said his country doesn’t want South Korea to suffer from the Trump administration's decision to end waivers for imports of Iranian oil.

U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook said on Monday the U.S. has a very strong alliance with Korea and that it doesn’t want its ally to suffer any economic harm.

South Korea, along with seven other countries, was granted temporary waivers from U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil this past November. However, Washington announced on Monday the U.S. would not renew the waivers when they expire early next month. The measure caused concern in South Korea as the country relies heavily on Iranian condensate to produce petrochemical products, which are among its leading export items.

Hook pointed out there are other suppliers of condensate such as Singapore, the U.S. and Qatar. He added the U.S. has been working closely with South Korea to help it transition away from Iranian crude.  

The envoy said Seoul shares Washington's goal of achieving national security objectives, and stressed that South Korea also doesn’t want Iran to acquire nuclear weapons or the expansion of missiles in the Middle East.

When asked whether the measures on Tehran were an indirect message for North Korea, Hook said it showed the Trump administration is very serious about nonproliferation and missile proliferation. He added that North Korea and Iran are the two leading countries in proliferation.