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
EU should consider forming combined military force: defense chief
- Kubilius floated creating a “powerful, standing ‘European military force’ of 100,000 troops” that could eventually replace US forces
- Trump has heightened fears among NATO allies over Washington’s reliability by insisting he wants to take over Greenland
BRUSSELS: EU countries should weigh whether to set up a combined military force that could eventually replace US troops in Europe, the bloc’s defense chief said Sunday.
EU defense commissioner Andrius Kubilius floated creating a “powerful, standing ‘European military force’ of 100,000 troops” as a possible option to better protect the continent.
“How will we replace the 100,000-strong American standing military force, which is the back-bone military force in Europe?” he asked in a speech in Sweden.
The suggestion comes as US President Donald Trump has heightened fears among NATO allies over Washington’s reliability by insisting he wants to take over Greenland.
Worries over Trump’s commitment to Europe have already spurred countries to step up efforts to bolster their militaries in the face of the threat posed by Russia.
Ideas about establishing a central European army have floated around for years but have largely failed to gain traction as nations are wary of relinquishing control over their militaries.
The US has pushed its European allies to increasingly take over responsibility for their own security, and raised the prospect it could shift forces from Europe to focus on China.
“In such times, we should not run away from the most pressing questions on our institutional defense readiness,” said Kubilius, a former Lithuanian prime minister.
In his speech Kubilius also advocated for the creation of a “European Security Council” of key powers — including potentially Britain — that could help the continent take decisions over its own defense quicker.
“The European Security Council could be composed of key permanent members, along with several rotational members,” he said.
“In total around 10-12 members, with the task to discuss the most important issues in defense.”
He said the first focus of such a body should be trying to change the dynamics in the war in Ukraine to ensure that Kyiv does not end up losing.
“We need to have a clear answer — how is the EU going to change that scenario?,” he said.
“This is the reason why we need to have a European Security Council now!“
