US to extend waivers tied to Iran's nuclear program

By Umar Farooq

WASHINGTON (AA) - The U.S. said Friday it would extend waivers granted to nations involved in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that allow them to take part in nonproliferation projects designed to make it harder for Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon.

The projects include reactor redesigns to prevent the creation of plutonium and infrastructure projects that will help ensure that some facilities are not used for uranium enrichment.

"Iran must stop all proliferation-sensitive activities, including uranium enrichment, and we will not accept actions that support the continuation of such enrichment," the State Department said in a statement.

The extensions for the projects were granted for 90 days with the potential for them to be renewed.

The U.S. introduced the measures as a continuation of previous policies aimed at curbing Iran's ability to revive its nuclear weapons program.

Among those policies are an oversight of the country's civil nuclear program which the department said would constrain Iran's ability to shorten its "breakout time" in terms of getting a nuclear weapon.

The department introduced further restrictions including sanctions on the transfer of enriched uranium out of Iran in exchange for natural uranium and warned that any assistance to expand Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant beyond the existing reactor unit could be subject to sanctions.

The U.S. also said it would no longer permit Iran to store heavy water, a byproduct of nuclear enrichment.

"The Trump administration continues to hold the Iranian regime accountable for activities that threaten the region’s stability and harm the Iranian people," the State Department said in the statement. "This includes denying Iran any pathway to a nuclear weapon."

The moves taken by the State Department are the latest in a series of actions to assert economic pressure on Iran.

The Trump administration re-imposed sanctions on Iranian oil exports in November after the president pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal between Tehran, Washington and five other countries.

Last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced it would be ending sanctions waivers for those countries that were still buying Iranian oil.