The US on Wednesday announced it had extended waivers for civilian nuclear projects in Iran, allowing European countries to continue cooperation with Tehran.
The projects exempted from US sanctions include the Bushehr nuclear power plant, the Fordow fuel enrichment plant and the Arak heavy water reactor.
"This is a short 90 day extension," said John Bolton, the White House's national security advisor. "We are watching those nuclear activities very, very closely, they remain under daily scrutiny."
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that if the White House had not renewed the waivers, the US "would have to sanction Russian, Chinese and European firms that are involved in projects inside Iran that were established as part of the 2015 nuclear deal."
Last year, US President Donald Trump withdrew American support for the Iran nuclear deal. The accord had established a legal framework in which Iran would end its nuclear program in exchange for the international community dropping paralyzing sanctions.
Read more: US imposes sanctions on Iran's foreign minister
Diplomatic approach
Since the US withdrawal, Washington has pressured other signatories, including Germany, to follow suit. But the German government has refused to withdraw, arguing that the accord is the only way to curb Iran's nuclear aspirations.
Earlier this week, diplomats representing Germany, France, the UK, China, Russia, the EU and Iran recommitted to salvaging the nuclear deal. While there were "some tense moments" at the meeting, "on the whole the atmosphere was very good," said Fu Cong, who led the Chinese delegation.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Wednesday said his country would not join US-led activities that could risk international security, including a maritime security operation in the Persian Gulf. He said the government believes the US strategy of exercising "maximum pressure" against Iran "is wrong."
Read more: Iran-US conflict: Tehran's asymmetrical approach
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Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat
The deal breaker
President Donald Trump announced on May 8, 2018 that he was pulling the United States out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, arguing that the international accord was not in America's "national interest." The decision threw a cloud of uncertainty over the future of the nuclear accord and raised tensions with US allies in Europe.
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Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat
Slap in the face
Britain, France and Germany lobbied the Trump administration and Congress to remain in the nuclear accord, arguing that the deal was working and a US violation without a follow up plan would be destabilizing. In European capitals, the Trump administration's withdrawal was viewed as a slap in the face of allies.
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Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat
Iran scrap 'voluntary commitments'
A year to the day after Trump's announcement, Iran informed the other signatories of the accord that they would no longer adhere to certain "voluntary commitments." Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the signatory nations had 60 days to implement promises to protect Iran's oil and banking sectors or Iran would resume the enrichment of uranium.
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Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat
Response to US pressure
The decision came after the United States deployed an aircraft, the USS Lincoln, along with a bomber task force to the Middle East. Washington said the deployment was intended as a "clear unmistakable message." Iran said it took action because the European Union and others "did not have the power to resist US pressure."
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Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat
A triumph of diplomacy
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran nuclear deal, was signed in 2015 by United States, China, Russia, France, Germany and Britain (P5+1) and Iran following years of negotiations. Under the international agreement, Iran agreed to dismantle its nuclear program and be subject to monitoring in exchange for the lifting of international nuclear related sanctions.
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Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat
Compliance and verification
The JCPOA includes a robust monitoring, verification and inspection regime carried out by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The UN watch dog has verified Iran's compliance with the deal in 12 quarterly reports. The JCPOA allows Iran to pursue a peaceful nuclear program for commercial, medical and industrial purposes in line with international non-proliferation standards.
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Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat
Obama's achievement
The Iran nuclear deal was President Barack Obama's signature foreign policy achievement. Seeking to undo nearly every Obama administration legacy, Trump came into office calling it the "worst deal ever." The Trump administration argues the nuclear deal doesn't address other unrelated issues such as Iran's ballistic missiles, regional influence, support for "terrorist" groups and human rights.
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Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat
Iranians approved
The nuclear deal and lifting of punishing nuclear related international sanctions created optimism in Iran after years of economic isolation. However, even before Trump pulled the US out of the deal, Tehran blamed the US for holding back international investment and not fulfilling its end of the bargain due to the uncertainty created by Trump's threats.
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Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat
The opponents
After eight years with Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu found the US president he wanted in Donald Trump. The Israeli leader repeatedly slammed the deal despite his own military and intelligence chiefs' assessment the that JCPOA, while not perfect, was working and should be maintained. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the other main opponents of the nuclear deal.
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Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat
Who's left?
The EU-3 (Britain, France, Germany) have scrambled to ensure that Iran receives the economic benefits it was promised in order to avoid Tehran pulling out of the deal. As EU businesses face retaliation from the US for doing business with Iran, many are opting to avoid Iran. This would likely be a present to Chinese and Russian businesses.
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ls/rt (AP, AFP)
