The US restoring sanctions waivers to Iran which allowed it to use the assistance of other countries in the sphere of nuclear energy may slow down the implementation of Iran’s nuclear program, Russian Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said on Saturday, TASS reported.
"Clear provisions of the Iranian nuclear deal are totally misinterpreted by opponents. The US maximum pressure policy remains the major factor in the advancement of the Iranian nuclear programme. Probably waivers can slow it down," he wrote on Twitter.
On Friday, a high-ranking US State Department official reported that the US administration made a decision to restore the sanctions waivers which allowed Iran to receive assistance on peaceful nuclear projects from other countries, including Russia. The official stressed that 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).
This is while some believe that the move by the Biden administration is in fact in line with the White House's "blame game" and can not have economic positive effects on Iran's economy.
Former US President Donald Trump unilaterally left the JCPOA in May 2018 and re-imposed the anti-Iran sanctions that the deal had lifted. He also placed additional sanctions on Iran under other pretexts not related to the nuclear case as part of his “maximum pressure” campaign.
Following a year of strategic patience, Iran decided to let go of some of the restrictions on its nuclear energy program, resorting to its legal rights under the JCPOA, which grants a party the right to suspend its contractual commitments in case of a non-performance by the other side.
ZZ/PR