Iran nuclear deal holds as sanctions waived

ECONOMIC sanctions on Iran will not be reimposed, Donald Trump has announced, in a move that keeps the nuclear deal in place despite his repeated criticism.

However, he said this was the last time he will waive such sanctions and demanded his European allies agree a series of new requirements on Iran.

The news will be cautiously welcomed by Britain and European Union figures who have lobbied hard to keep the Iran nuclear deal in place.

The 2015 agreement, signed by Barack Obama, resulted in economic sanctions being waived in return for Iran not developing nuclear weapons. Mr Trump was a fierce critic during the 2016 election campaign, calling it the “worst deal ever”. He promised to scrap it if he became president.

Yesterday, he faced a deadline over whether to reinstate sanctions on Iran’s central bank and oil exports – a move that would almost certainly have scuppered the deal.

He decided not take that step and instead waived the sanctions, senior administration officials said – effectively leaving the deal in place.

However, they added it would be “the last such waiver” that Mr Trump would issue and said it was now up to America and Europe to agree tougher requirements on Iran.

It is 60 days until the next sanctions relief renewal deadline comes up. Mr Trump wants Iran to limit its ballistic missile testing and be more open to international nuclear inspectors in return for keeping the nuclear deal in place.

In a separate but linked move, Mr Trump also announced 14 “designations” against Iranian individuals and companies who will be punished for, among other things, overseeing “cruel, inhumane and degrading” torture of prisoners, according to US administration officials.

Other punishments are linked to the censoring of Iranian protesters, who have taken to the streets in recent weeks, and the attempt to stop them practising the right to free assembly.