Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it’s “hard to see” how the Taliban will get any relief from crippling economic sanctions if they backtrack on commitments to let people who want to leave Afghanistan do so. Blinken told reporters Friday that the U.S. is working on keeping land routes open and is looking at ways to process applications for special immigrant visas outside the country. “Ultimately the expectation is to see a government that makes good on the commitments that the Taliban has made,” Blinken said. The Biden administration’s reluctance to ease sanctions on the Taliban will hamper the group’s ability to establish a new government in Afghanistan and risk plunging the country deeper into poverty. Long-standing U.S. measures restricting Taliban officials from access to the financial system are likely to stay in place. The sanctions offer crucial leverage for President Joe Biden’s team as they negotiate to win safe passage for 100-to-200 Americans and thousands of Afghans who weren’t evacuated in August and still want to leave the country. The White House also wants to see the Taliban establish a government that respects human rights, particularly for women and religious and ethnic minorities. Removing sanctions would pose a political risk for Biden in Washington, where lawmakers from both parties have sharply criticized the president for the chaotic U.S. withdrawal completed this week. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Subscribe to our newest channel Quicktake Explained: https://bit.ly/3iERrup Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake