WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2020) The Trump administration will terminate sanctions waivers that allowed foreign companies to work on Iran deal-related nuclear projects, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday citing an internal State Department memo.
"[Pompeo will] end the sanctions waiver covering JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]-related nuclear projects in Iran," the memo said as quoted by the Washington Post.
The waiver has allowed foreign companies, such as from Russia, China and Europe, to conduct work at Iranian nuclear sites.
The report said the decision will impact work at the Arak heavy water research reactor, the provision of enriched uranium for the Tehran Research Reactor and the transfer of used research reactor fuel out of Iran.
However, the report added that the Trump administration will provide a 90-day extension for a separate waiver to allow international support to the Bushehr nuclear power plant.
In 2015, Iran signed the JCPOA with China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. It required Tehran to scale back its nuclear program and severely downgrade its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief, including lifting the arms embargo five years after the deal's adoption.
However, on May 8, 2018, the United States abandoned its conciliatory policy on Iran, withdrawing from the JCPOA and hitting Iranian petroleum industries with sanctions.
