US awaiting UN agency approval before lifting Iran sanctions
White House says it needs IAEA verification that Tehran has met its obligations before easing economic measures
The US is waiting for the nod from the UN’s atomic agency before ending years of crippling sanctions that ultimately drove the Islamic republic to the negotiating table, the White House said Friday.
In order for the economic measures to be lifted, Iran must meet certain conditions outlined in an agreement on its nuclear program with world powers reached in July 2015.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Iran was making “important progress” toward curbing its nuclear program, and that it was possible Tehran had already completed all the necessary steps.
But he said Iran would not get any sanctions relief until the International Atomic Energy Agency has independently verified that all steps have been completed.
The US, he said, wants to make sure Iran doesn’t “cut any corners.”
US officials earlier in the week had said that “implementation day” for the Iran nuclear deal could occur within days. Iran will receive billions of dollars in economic sanctions relief in exchange for scaling back its nuclear program.
Under the deal with world powers, Iran was to dramatically reduce its uranium enrichment program, surrender or dilute most of its highly enriched fuel and open its nuclear sites to inspectors from the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog.
In return, the United States, Europe and other countries would rescind a raft of economic sanctions imposed on Iran because of fears that its nuclear research program concealed plans to develop an atomic bomb.