Washington has announced an end to sanctions waivers that have allowed Russian, Chinese, and European firms to cooperate with Iran’s civil nuclear program. Terminating the sanctions waivers effectively ends the last remnants of US participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also referred to as the Iran nuclear deal. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo justified the move by accusing Iran of breaching its nuclear commitments under the deal.
The termination of sanctions waivers may further complicate relations between the US and other signatories of the JCPOA. Russia, China, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have attempted to cooperate with Iran under continued adherence to the deal. Countries will now have less than 60 days to conclude operations or face US sanctions. The Trump administration also provided a 90-day extension for waivers covering international activity at the Bushehr nuclear power plant to ensure the safety of operations.
The international civilian cooperation aspects of the JCPOA were designed to make Iran’s nuclear program more transparent and less capable of producing weapons, however, critics of the JCPOA argue the civilian nuclear waivers allow Iran access to technology that could be used to create nuclear weapons.
Click here to read our Insight on the Associated Risks of the US Withdrawal from the JCPOA.
