US President Joe Biden’s administration has restored a sanctions waiver that will allow countries to cooperate with Iran on civil nuclear projects, as the Vienna talks are underway on the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
On Friday, a high-ranking US State Department official reported that the US administration made a decision to restore the sanctions waiver, which was rescinded by the administration of former president Donald Trump in May 2020.
The waiver allows Russian, Chinese and European companies to carry out non-proliferation work at Iranian nuclear sites.
It was needed to allow for technical discussions that were key to the negotiations about returning to the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the State Department official said.
“The technical discussions facilitated by the waiver are necessary in the final weeks of JCPOA talks,” said the official, adding that even if a final deal is not reached, the waiver is important to holding discussions on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons – of interest to the entire world.
The official stressed that the waiver “is not a concession to Iran,” nor is it “a signal that we are about to reach an understanding on a mutual return to full implementation of the” Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
This is while some believe that the move by the Biden administration is in fact in line with the White House’s “blame game” and cannot have economic positive effects on Iran’s economy, especially that the number of sanctions imposed by Washington against the Islamic Republic passes 1,000.
In reaction to the US move, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s ambassador to International organizations, said that the US maximum pressure policy remains the major factor in the advancement of the Iranian nuclear program.
In a tweet, Ilyanov slammed some interpretations by the Islamic opponents.
Hatred is a bad advisor. Clear provisions of the Iranian nuclear deal are totally misinterpreted by opponents.The US maximum pressure policy remains the major factor of the advancement of the Iranian nuclear programme. Probably waivers can slow it down. https://t.co/MEy6kSGRkA
— Mikhail Ulyanov (@Amb_Ulyanov) February 5, 2022
Source: Al-Manar English Website
