
Biden administration restores Iran sanctions waiver as time runs out to salvage nuclear deal
CNN
The Biden administration has restored a sanctions waiver that will allow countries to cooperate with Iran on civil nuclear projects, two senior US officials said Friday, a move that comes as US officials warn that there are only weeks left to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
The senior State Department official said the waiver "is not a concession to Iran," nor is it "a signal that we are about to reach an understanding on a mutual return to full implementation of the" Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the formal name of the nuclear agreement.
However, the move comes as officials involved in the ongoing talks in Vienna aimed at saving the deal -- which the US abandoned in 2018 and from which Iran has been increasingly non-compliant -- have reached a phase that requires "political decisions" to be made quickly. The latest round of talks has been adjourned since last Friday.