From the news desk

US extends Iran nuclear cooperation sanctions waivers

Share this article

The United States has allowed companies from Russia, China and Europe to continue their work at Iranian nuclear facilities without being subject to American sanctions, the US State Department announced on Monday.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed off on the waiver extensions but couched the decision as one that continues restrictions on Iran’s atomic work.

Current and former officials familiar with the matter said Pompeo had opposed extending the waivers, which are among the few remaining components of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that the administration had not cancelled.

However, the officials told The Associated Press news agency (AP) that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had prevailed in an internal debate on the subject last week.

Mnuchin reportedly argued that the coronavirus pandemic made eliminating the waivers unpalatable at a time when the administration was being criticised for refusing to ease sanctions to deal with the outbreak, which has hit Iran hard. The officials were not authorised to publicly discuss the decision and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

Reuters news agency earlier reported that the decision to renew waivers on sanctions that bar non-US firms from dealing with Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization was expected on Monday, citing four sources familiar with the matter including a US official.

The Jewish News Syndicate, a news outlet predominantly focused on Israel and the Jewish world, first reported that the United States was expected to renew the waivers, citing two sources familiar with the decision.

The move by the Trump administration, which in 2018 withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran, will allow non-proliferation work to continue at the Arak heavy-water research reactor, the Bushehr nuclear power plant, the Tehran Research Reactor and other nuclear facilities.

Source: Al Jazeera


Share this article

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

WhatsApp WhatsApp us
Wait a sec, saving restore vars.