Pressure is mounting on the State Department to nix a series of sanctions waivers that have permitted Iran to continue some of its most controversial nuclear weapons research, including at a secretive military bunker known to have housed the Islamic Republic's bomb program, according to multiple U.S. officials working on the matter.
While the White House and State Department are said to be leaning towards ending the nuclear waivers, other elements of the administration are still arguing in their favor, setting up a showdown between these factions, according to multiple sources familiar with the fight.
While President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal last year, the waivers remain in place and have helped pave the way for Iran to cheat on the accord by continuing nuclear research.
"There are still some people in the administration who are pushing to renew the waivers, but the White House and the State Department are committed to ending them, especially now that the evidence of a secret Iranian nuclear weapons program is undeniable and the Iranians are in open violation of the deal," said the official, who also would speak only on background about the debate.
"It's long overdue for the U.S. not only to end civil nuclear waivers that give the Iranian regime cover to advance its nuclear program, but also to trigger the sanctions snapback mechanism in U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 for restoring international restrictions against Iran's uranium enrichment, plutonium-related heavy water work, and ballistic missile development," Sen. Marco Rubio, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told the Free Beacon.
"The regime in Tehran has repeatedly proven it cannot be trusted to possess nuclear capabilities, given that it hid from international inspectors its secret 'Atomic Archive' for preserving its nuclear weapons research and development for eventual use, and is now escalating its uranium enrichment program beyond the flawed nuclear deal's modest and reversible limits," Rubio said.
The recent revelations that Iran has never re-purposed the Fordow facility in keeping with its JCPOA obligations are especially significant, because, first, Fordow's sole rationale for existence is the production of nuclear weapons, and, second, Iran's cheating at that site pre-dates Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal."
https://freebeacon.com/national-security/loopholes-in-sanctions-still-permit-iranian-nuke-research-at-military-site/
While the White House and State Department are said to be leaning towards ending the nuclear waivers, other elements of the administration are still arguing in their favor, setting up a showdown between these factions, according to multiple sources familiar with the fight.
While President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal last year, the waivers remain in place and have helped pave the way for Iran to cheat on the accord by continuing nuclear research.
"There are still some people in the administration who are pushing to renew the waivers, but the White House and the State Department are committed to ending them, especially now that the evidence of a secret Iranian nuclear weapons program is undeniable and the Iranians are in open violation of the deal," said the official, who also would speak only on background about the debate.
"It's long overdue for the U.S. not only to end civil nuclear waivers that give the Iranian regime cover to advance its nuclear program, but also to trigger the sanctions snapback mechanism in U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231 for restoring international restrictions against Iran's uranium enrichment, plutonium-related heavy water work, and ballistic missile development," Sen. Marco Rubio, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told the Free Beacon.
"The regime in Tehran has repeatedly proven it cannot be trusted to possess nuclear capabilities, given that it hid from international inspectors its secret 'Atomic Archive' for preserving its nuclear weapons research and development for eventual use, and is now escalating its uranium enrichment program beyond the flawed nuclear deal's modest and reversible limits," Rubio said.
The recent revelations that Iran has never re-purposed the Fordow facility in keeping with its JCPOA obligations are especially significant, because, first, Fordow's sole rationale for existence is the production of nuclear weapons, and, second, Iran's cheating at that site pre-dates Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal."
https://freebeacon.com/national-security/loopholes-in-sanctions-still-permit-iranian-nuke-research-at-military-site/
No comments:
Post a Comment