US and Iran Negotiating What Sanctions Need to Be Lifted to Revive Nuclear Deal

Complicating the process, the Biden administration refuses to lift all Trump-era sanctions

During this week’s talks in Vienna, the US has been negotiating with Iran what sanctions the Biden administration is willing to lift to restore the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA.

Since the Trump administration withdrew the deal in 2018, the US has imposed an enormous number of sanctions on the Islamic Republic. Some were nuclear-related, while other sanctions were implemented over claims of terrorism and alleged human rights abuses.

A senior State Department official told reporters on Wednesday that the US has broken down the sanctions into three categories. The first category is nuclear-related sanctions the US is willing to lift. The second is sanctions the US will not lift. And the third category is sanctions the US is not sure if it will lift, which the official called “difficult cases.” The official said the US told Iran that it needs to review all of the sanctions in the third category.

The Trump administration intentionally ramped up its sanction campaign in its final days to make it harder for President Biden to return to the deal. “The Trump administration deliberately and avowedly imposed sanctions by invoking labels — terrorism labels and other labels even though it was done purely for the purpose of preventing or hindering a return to the — compliance with the JCPOA,” the official said.

Since the Biden administration is not willing to lift all the sanctions that were imposed since 2018, it appears Trump’s strategy is working. The State Department official insisted that while progress is being made, there is still a long way to go.

“We’re not near the conclusion of these negotiations. The outcome is still uncertain,” the official said. “The talks have been business-like, productive, but with still many differences that would need to be overcome.”

The US claims the talks are slow because the process is complex. But if the Biden administration was serious about reviving the deal, it could lift all Trump-era sanctions, which is the quickest way to get Iran to bring its civilian nuclear program within limits set by the JCPOA.

Despite the US’s stubbornness, Iranian officials have been speaking positively of the talks. On Tuesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said about “60 to 70 percent” of the issues have been resolved and that he expects a deal to be reached in “little time.”

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.