WASHINGTON: The United States said Wednesday it was extending waivers for three civilian nuclear projects in Iran, despite Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement.
“This is a short 90 day extension,” said White House National Security Adviser John Bolton, a champion of the hawkish policy toward Tehran.
“We are watching those nuclear activities very, very closely, they remain under daily scrutiny,” he told Fox Business.
The projects include the Bushehr nuclear power plant, the Arak heavy water reactor, which has been modified under the supervision of the international community to render it impossible to produce plutonium for military use, and the Fordow fuel enrichment plant.
The State Department downplayed the move, as it did when it last granted an extension in May, describing the waivers as “continued restrictions on the Iranian regime’s nuclear program.”
“The action today will help preserve oversight of Iran’s civil nuclear program, reduce proliferation risks, constrain Iran’s ability to shorten its ‘breakout time’ to a nuclear weapon, and prevent the regime from reconstituting sites for proliferation-sensitive purposes,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
In reality, the move extends exemptions for the three Iranian civil nuclear projects, the State Department confirmed to AFP.
There was a debate in President Donald Trump’s administration about these exemptions, with hawks saying that after Washington’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, it would have been logical to stop them in order to further increase the pressure on Tehran.
But the more moderate line has prevailed for the moment, so as not to upset the other signatories to the 2015 deal — China, Russia, Germany, France and Britain — amid escalating tensions between the US and Iran.
The 2015 agreement promised that world powers would assist Iran in developing civilian nuclear energy — the clerical regime’s stated goal for its atomic program.
The waiver announcement came as Washington imposed sanctions Wednesday on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
US watching Tehran ‘very closely’ after renewing waivers for Iran civil nuclear projects
US watching Tehran ‘very closely’ after renewing waivers for Iran civil nuclear projects
- The US described the waivers as “continued restrictions on the Iranian regime’s nuclear program”
- The waiver announcement came as Washington imposed sanctions on the Iranian foreign minister
Zelensky wants to replace Ukraine’s defense minister
- President has offered the position to his current minister of digital transformation, who is aged just 34
- No explanation was given for his decision to replace Denys Shmygal
KYIV, Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday said he intended to replace his defense minister and had offered the position to his current minister of digital transformation, who is aged just 34.
“I have decided to change the structure of the Ukrainian ministry of defense,” Zelensky said in his daily address broadcast on social media. “I have offered Mikhailo Fedorov the position of new Ukrainian defense minister.”
Fedorov, who has been digital transformation minister since 2019, is a relative political novice little-known to the Ukrainian public.
“Mykhailo is deeply involved in issues related to drones and is very effective in the digitalization of state services and processes,” Zelensky added.
Without explaining his decision to replace Denys Shmygal, the Ukrainian leader said he had proposed the incumbent “head another area of government work that is no less important for our stability.”
Zelensky had tapped Shmygal as defense minister just half a year ago, in July 2025.
Besides the turnover at the defense ministry, Zelensky also named Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov to head his presidential office.
Budanov replaces Andriy Yermak, who was among Ukraine’s most powerful people before being engulfed in a corruption scandal dogging some of Zelensky’s former allies.
