US Moves to Waive Iran Sanctions as Obama Applauds Nuclear Deal 'Adoption Day'
The U.S. launched the regulatory process to end sanctions with Iran on Oct. 18, “adoption day” for the Joint Comprehensive Plan on Action, said President Barack Obama in a statement (here). Iran is scheduled to follow suit by beginning to scale back enrichment activities. The other JCPOA partners, P5+1 countries and the European Union, are poised to reduce sanctions on Iran as well, said the statement.
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Oct. 18 marks 90 days since the United Nations approved the enrichment pact (see 1507210005). “These next steps will allow us to reach the objectives we set out to achieve over the course of nearly two years of tough, principled diplomacy and will result in cutting off all four pathways Iran could use to develop enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon,” said Obama. “I have directed that the heads of all relevant executive departments and agencies of the United States begin preparations to implement the U.S. commitments in the JCPOA, in accordance with U.S. law, including providing relief from nuclear-related sanctions as detailed in the text of the JCPOA once the International Atomic Energy Agency has verified that Iran has completed all of its nuclear steps.”
House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., criticized the White House for allowing the JCPOA to proceed. “The Obama Administration is looking more naive by the day,” said Royce on Oct. 18 before condemning a range of Iranian actions over the past three months. “In a key test of its commitment to the nuclear agreement, Iran has given minimum cooperation to international inspectors attempting to determine the extent of Iran’s past bomb work.”