The United States has reinstated waivers related to Iran's civilian atomic program activities canceled under President Donald Trump as talks to salvage the Iran nuclear deal enter their home stretch.
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"We have decided to reinstate a sanctions waiver to allow external participation" to ensure "non-proliferation"
, due to
"increasing concerns"
created by the continued development of Iranian nuclear activities, a senior US official said.
This decision should also make it possible to
"facilitate"
" technical
discussions"
which are
"necessary in the last weeks of the talks"
, he added, establishing a direct link with the negotiations which are to resume in the coming days in Vienna with Tehran and the other great powers.
"The waiver itself would be essential to ensure Iran's rapid compliance with its nuclear commitments"
in the event of a compromise in Vienna, where the negotiations are being held, he added.
But even without an agreement in the Austrian capital,
"these technical discussions will still contribute to fulfilling our non-proliferation objectives"
, he assured.
No concession to Iran for Washington
However, Washington ensures that it
"is not a concession to Iran"
nor a
"signal indicating that we are on the verge of reaching an agreement"
to save the 2015 agreement supposed to prevent Iran from acquiring the atomic bomb.
Donald Trump, who in 2018 withdrew the United States from this agreement and restored most of the American economic sanctions against Tehran, ended in May 2020 by also removing these exemptions.
They concern in particular the Tehran reactor intended for research, as well as the heavy water reactor of Arak, modified under the control of the international community in such a way as to make it impossible to produce plutonium for military use.