The Trump White House announced Friday its decision to waive renewed sanctions on Iran’s hardline regime, effectively extending the Obama-era Iranian nuclear deal for at least several months with officials warning it will be the “last waiver” issued.
Despite the agreement’s extension, the Treasury Department announced a variety of new sanctions against Tehran, specifically targeting the regime’s human rights abuses and support of terror organizations.
The Trump administration also announced its intention to totally withdraw from the 2015 deal if Iran does not address those issues, adding that the President is interested in stopping Iran’s nuclear ambitions “forever,” not just “for ten years.”
“This would not entail direct negotiations with the Iranians, but would be something the U.S. works out with European partners only,” a White House official told Fox News.
“The United States will not stand by while the Iranian regime continues to engage in human rights abuses and injustice. We are targeting the Iranian regime, including the head of Iran’s judiciary, for its appalling mistreatment of its citizens, including those imprisoned solely for exercising their right to freedom of peaceful assembly, and for censoring its own people as they stand up in protest against their government,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Friday.