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Trump to approve Iran nuclear deal for last time | Trump to approve Iran nuclear deal for last time |
(35 minutes later) | |
US President Donald Trump says he is extending sanctions relief for Iran one last time so Europe and the US can fix the nuclear deal's "terrible flaws". | US President Donald Trump says he is extending sanctions relief for Iran one last time so Europe and the US can fix the nuclear deal's "terrible flaws". |
The waiver he will sign suspends US sanctions on Iran for another 120 days. | The waiver he will sign suspends US sanctions on Iran for another 120 days. |
The White House wants a deal with EU signatories to make restrictions on Iran's uranium enrichment permanent. Under the current deal they are set to expire in 2025. | The White House wants a deal with EU signatories to make restrictions on Iran's uranium enrichment permanent. Under the current deal they are set to expire in 2025. |
Mr Trump also wants Iran's ballistic missile programme to be addressed. | Mr Trump also wants Iran's ballistic missile programme to be addressed. |
"This is a last chance," the US president said in a statement on Friday. "In the absence of such an agreement, the United States will not again waive sanctions in order to stay in the Iran nuclear deal. | "This is a last chance," the US president said in a statement on Friday. "In the absence of such an agreement, the United States will not again waive sanctions in order to stay in the Iran nuclear deal. |
"And if at any time I judge that such an agreement is not within reach, I will withdraw from the deal immediately." | "And if at any time I judge that such an agreement is not within reach, I will withdraw from the deal immediately." |
Also on Friday, the US imposed separate sanctions against 14 individuals and entities it accuses of rights abuses, censorship and support for weapons proliferators. | Also on Friday, the US imposed separate sanctions against 14 individuals and entities it accuses of rights abuses, censorship and support for weapons proliferators. |
The US still maintains sanctions on Iran - independent of the nuclear deal - on matters such as terrorism, human rights and ballistic missile development. | |
What is the deal? | |
The landmark accord - known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - was signed between six global powers and Iran in 2015. | |
It saw Iran agree to reduce uranium enrichment activity drastically, dispose of its enriched uranium stocks and modify a heavy water facility so it could not produce material suitable for a nuclear bomb. | It saw Iran agree to reduce uranium enrichment activity drastically, dispose of its enriched uranium stocks and modify a heavy water facility so it could not produce material suitable for a nuclear bomb. |
In return, decades of international and US nuclear-related sanctions were suspended, and the US president must sign a waiver suspending them every 120 days. | In return, decades of international and US nuclear-related sanctions were suspended, and the US president must sign a waiver suspending them every 120 days. |
But Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised the deal - reached under his predecessor Barack Obama - as "the worst ever". | But Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised the deal - reached under his predecessor Barack Obama - as "the worst ever". |
What does the US want? | |
Senior Trump administration officials briefed reporters on Friday to say the president will work with European partners to broker an agreement limiting Iran's ballistic missiles activities. | |
Mr Trump is prepared to back a modification to the existing deal if it was made permanent, one official said. | |
The president also wants the US Congress to amend a law on US participation in the nuclear deal, so that Washington could reimpose all sanctions if Iran breaches certain "trigger points". | |
This will involve negotiations between the US and its European allies rather than talks with Iran, the official said. | |
BBC state department correspondent Barbara Plett Usher is sceptical that any international agreement can be negotiated in 120 days. | |
She says Iran is not interested in brokering a new deal, so Mr Trump will have either to back down or walk away. | She says Iran is not interested in brokering a new deal, so Mr Trump will have either to back down or walk away. |
Is the current deal working? | |
In October, President Trump refused to certify that Iran was in compliance with the accord, accusing the country of "not living up to the spirit" of the pact. | |
However, UN inspectors have certified nine times that Iran has not breached the deal. | |
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who helped broker the agreement, said on Thursday that the accord is "making the world safer". | |
She said it was also "preventing a potential nuclear arms race in the region". | |
What does Iran say? | |
Iranian said on Friday that Mr Trump was "maliciously violating" the deal. | |
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said: "Trump's policy & today's announcement amount to desperate attempts to undermine a solid multilateral agreement." | |
Tehran has vowed to stick to the accord as long as the other signatories respect it, but to "shred" it if Washington pulls out. | |
Iran says the missiles it has tested are not designed to carry nuclear warheads and insists its nuclear programme is a peaceful one for energy purposes. | |
What did the rest of the world say? | |
French President Emmanuel Macron phoned Mr Trump on Thursday to call for "the strict application of the deal and the importance of all the signatories to respect it". | |
In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the pact was "the result of a consensus among many parties". | |
The accord can be seen as "either good or bad, but it is the only one that reflects this consensus," Mr Peskov said on Friday, ahead of Mr Trump's announcement. |