With Iran reportedly set to breach the limit of enriched uranium permitted under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which US President Donald Trump withdrew from in May 2018, a debate has heated up over whether the administration should issue another round of temporary waivers to permit countries partner to the deal to conduct limited civil nuclear projects with the Iranian regime.
The waivers – extended to 90 days, down from the previous 180 – were issued in May and allow the signatories to continue conducting nonproliferation work at the Bushehr, Arak and Fordow nuclear facilities. Ahead of their expected review in August, US National Security Adviser John Bolton and officials on Capitol Hill have increased pressure on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not to renew the waivers.
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US Vice President Mike Pence and senior administration officials have been briefed on a new essay in the Mosaic online magazine by Hudson Institute senior fellow and former George W. Bush administration national security official Michael Doran, two people familiar with the briefing told Politico.
In his piece, which Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) tweeted was a "crucial analysis," Doran calls for the end of the waivers that Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said is the "cornerstone of the JCPOA [the Iran nuclear deal], the structure that provides international cover for Iran's nuclear-weapons program."
"Historically, Khamenei has always valued the preservation of this program over any practical economic considerations," continued Doran. "Although some have suggested that the economic sanctions now imposed by the administration will be severe enough to force him, eventually, to rethink his priorities, it's worth bearing in mind just how much he has been willing to sacrifice for them in the past."
Last month, Cruz (R-Texas) sparred with Andrea Thompson, the US Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, over the nuclear waivers.
