Biden admin. restores sanctions waiver to Iran in final phase of talks

According to a senior State Department official, this was not a signal that Washington was about to reach an understanding to return to the nuclear deal known as the JCPOA.

By REUTERS

Published: FEBRUARY 5, 2022 00:02

Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Enrique Mora and Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani and delegations wait for the start of a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria December 17, 2021

(photo credit: REUTERS)

The Biden administration on Friday restored a sanctions waiver to Iran, a senior State Department official said, as indirect talks between the United States and Iran on returning to the 2015 nuclear agreement have entered the final stretch.

The technical discussions facilitated by the waiver are necessary in the final weeks of the talks, the official said but added that it was not a signal that Washington was about to reach an understanding to return to the deal formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

A general view of Palais Coburg, the site of a meeting of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in Vienna, Austria, November 29, 2021. (credit: REUTERS/LISI NIESNER)