| Submit your comments on this article |
| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Major Sanctions Relief on Table for Iran, State Dept. Says |
| 2021-05-07 |
| [Free Beacon] The Biden administration is considering granting Iran significant economic sanctions relief, according to U.S. and Iranian officials, confirming that Iran is making headway in its demand that America unwind many of its most crippling measures. Negotiations with Iran in Vienna are centered around the scope and scale of sanctions relief, a State Department spokesman told the Washington Free Beacon, confirming similar comments issued this week by Iranian officials. Iran is pushing the Biden administration to nix nearly all of the sanctions applied by the former Trump administration, including those targeting the country’s nuclear program, terrorism operations, banks, and oil trade. The Biden administration says it is willing to lift all sanctions necessary for America to make a full return to the original nuclear accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which provided Iran with billions in cash assets. "The United States would be prepared to lift the sanctions necessary for our JCPOA compliance only if Iran is prepared to return its nuclear program to its JCPOA status, including with respect to the level and scale of its uranium enrichment activities," a State Department spokesman told the Free Beacon. Iran is violating the JCPOA by enriching uranium, the primary fuel in a nuclear weapon, to levels far exceeding restrictions written into the original accord. Sanctions have been the primary sticking point in negotiations, as Iran pushes for the United States to unilaterally unwind every sanction that has stifled the country’s economy and brought the hardline regime closer to bankruptcy than ever before. Iranian officials indicated on Wednesday the United States is giving up ground in the talks, as Iran demands that former president Donald Trump’s "maximum pressure" campaign be canceled. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh dismissed rumors the Biden administration is angling to keep many of the most stringent sanctions in place. "Not only are these cases and allegations like this wrong, but everyone knows for sure that if the United States had insisted on such things, the talks would have stopped by now," Khatibzadeh said, hinting that the sides could be more closely aligned than thought. The State Department told the Free Beacon that sanctions relief is prominently on the table. "The team continues to explore and discuss issues and options vis-à -vis sanctions relief," the spokesman said. Both sides, however, still remain far from a deal in the administration’s view. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #4 I cannot overstate my disgust at such pathetic appeasement, and the floral arrangements and Zoolbia-Bamieh. Zoolbia (deep-fried funnel cakes, soaked in a light rosewater-saffron syrup) must be arriving at the Kalorama Kompound by FedEx today. After all, it is the source... |
| Posted by: NoMoreBS 2021-05-07 16:54 |
| #3 Why doesn't Biden et al. just skip to the chase and give Iran a couple of our nukes? It's what Iran wants. /sarcasm |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2021-05-07 15:16 |
| #2 Giving it up like a bad suitor. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2021-05-07 09:54 |
| #1 |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2021-05-07 07:11 |