US to ease sanctions over Iran's nuclear program

The United States has decided to restore previously canceled exemptions from sanctions against Iran's nuclear program, while Washington does not consider this step as a concession to Tehran. This was reported to RIA Novosti by the US State Department.

“We have decided to reinstate sanctions exemptions to enable third parties to participate in nuclear non-proliferation and security projects in Iran due to growing concerns about (nuclear) non-proliferation – in particular, due to the growing stocks of enriched uranium in Iran,” — said the representative of the American diplomatic service.

The diplomat stressed that Washington considers this step not as a concession to Tehran, but as a necessary measure.

The United States, France, United Kingdom, Germany, CHINA , RUSSIA and Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015, in which they agreed not to impose sanctions on Tehran in exchange for its refusal to develop nuclear weapons. The JCPOA envisaged, in particular, the limitation of uranium enrichment and the access of inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to all nuclear facilities in the country.

In 2018, under former President Donald Trump, the United States withdrew from the deal, accusing Iran of violating the agreement, and imposed sanctions against it. In response, Iran abandoned some of its obligations and continued to enrich uranium beyond the permitted level.

In September 2021, US President Joe Bidensaid the US is ready to return to compliance with the Iran nuclear deal if Tehran takes similar steps. In December of the same year, a new round of negotiations on Iran's nuclear program was held in Vienna, which was attended by representatives of all countries on the JCPOA. As a result, no decision was made to resume the deal, but a State Department spokesman said the United States was ready to continue negotiations.