Trump keeps Iran nuvlear deal intact but then adds some unrelated sanctions
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump agreed Friday to extend sanctions waivers on Iran to keep the landmark nuclear disarmament deal intact, but vowed to quickly withdraw from what he called “the disastrously flawed” accord unless it is significantly revised.
“No one should doubt my word,” Trump said in a harshly worded, two-page statement that also announced separate economic sanctions on 14 Iranian entities and individuals.
Trump said he had reluctantly agreed to extend the waivers only in order to secure the support of America’s European allies to fix the agreement. “This is a last chance,” he warned, declaring he would not do so again.
He did not set a deadline, but under U.S. law the president is required to waive sanctions every four months. Unilaterally re-imposing the sanctions would put the United States in violation of an international agreement that was unanimously approved by the United Nations Security Council in 2015.
Iranian officials have stressed they will not reopen negotiations on the accord, which required Tehran to dismantle or destroy most of its nuclear infrastructure in exchange for easing of most international sanctions. The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency has repeatedly found Iran is complying with those obligations.
Senior administration officials said the White House intends to negotiate with European allies a menu of “triggers” to re-impose multilateral sanctions if Iran oversteps those lines. But the officials also want the triggers to include Iran’s growing ballistic missile program, which was not part of the nuclear deal, and to remove sunset clauses that allow some nuclear restrictions to ease or phase out over time.
“The idea is they (should) never expire,” a senior administration official, speaking anonymously, said of the restrictions in briefing reporters ahead of the announcement. “Iran should be denied all paths to a nuclear weapon ... forever.”
The 14 Iranian individuals and entities sanctioned Friday include a notorious prison and members of the Islamic Republic’s judiciary who have sentenced dissidents to death.
Also blacklisted were Iran’s cyberspace agency, which administration officials said restricts its citizens’ access to the internet; Iranian defense industry firms that repair and maintain helicopters and aircraft; a Malaysia-based company that allegedly supports Iranian naval missile production; and a Chinese businessman who allegedly supplied financing and equipment to Iran’s electronics industry.
The head of Iran’s judiciary, Sadegh Amoli Larijani, was put on the U.S. blacklist. He is the brother of the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Ali Larijani, the officials said.