Biden REMOVES some Iran sanctions imposed by Trump - including unfreezing $29B in bank accounts overseas - in bid to return to Obama-era deal that three negotiators have resigned over
The Biden administration on Friday restored a sanctions waiver to Iran
Indirect talks between the United States and Iran on returning to the 2015 nuclear agreement has entered the final stretch
One official said it was not a signal Washington was reaching an understanding to return to the deal formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
Waivers allowed foreign companies to carry out non-proliferation work to make it harder for Iranian nuclear sites to be used for weapons development
Waivers were rescinded by the United States in 2019 and 2020 under former President Donald Trump, who pulled out of the nuclear agreement
The United States and Iran have held eight rounds of indirect talks in Vienna since April aimed at reinstating the pact that lifted sanctions against Tehran
There has been no formal announcement on when the ninth round would start, but expectations intensified that it could be next week
After Trump pulled the United States out of the deal in 2018 and reimposed harsh sanctions, Iran gradually started violating the pact's nuclear curbs
Western diplomats now worry that its nuclear advancement leaves a very narrow window of time to return to the deal
By James Gordon For Dailymail.com and Wires
Published: 21:30 EST, 4 February 2022 | Updated: 22:35 EST, 4 February 2022
The US State Department is waiving sanctions on Iran's civilian nuclear program in the hope that Tehran will return to the 2015 nuclear agreement, a senior official said Friday.
As U.S. negotiators head back to Vienna for what could be a make-or-break session, Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed several sanctions waivers related to Iran's civilian nuclear activities. The move reverses the Trump administration's decision to rescind them.
The resumption of the waiver, ended by Trump in 2020, 'would be essential to ensuring Iran's swift compliance' if a new deal on controlling Tehran's nuclear program can be reached in talks in Vienna, the State Department official said.
The waivers are intended to entice Iran to return to compliance with the 2015 deal that it has been violating since former President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and re-imposed U.S. sanctions.
The removal of sanctions would see the release of Iran's frozen funds held abroad, estimated at some $29 billion about a one third of what's held abroad by the country.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10478865/US-REMOVES-Iran-sanctions-imposed-Trump-return-Obama-era-negotiators-resigned-over.html