Trump Disappoints Hawks With Plan to Renew Nuclear Waivers on Iran

The Trump Administration is about to disappoint a lot of people who see an easy path toward war with Iran, by allowing reason to prevail on international waivers for civil nuclear cooperation with Iran. The waivers will be renewed.

The waivers cover all five remaining parties of the P5+1 nuclear deal, and gives America’s blessing on those nations continuing to cooperate with Iran’s civilian program. Mike Pompeo and John Bolton both objected to the waivers being renewed.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, however, noted that if the sanction waivers weren’t renewed, and all those nations stayed in the treaty, the US would be setting itself up to have to start imposing sanctions against every permanent UN Security Council member, and Germany, and target a bunch of companies who got involved in projects when the US was still party to the deal.

Needless to say, that would be a big problem for the US, and Trump ultimately decided not to chance it. At the same time, Pompeo and Bolton both saw this as another big chance to worsen US ties with Iran, continuing the two down a path to war that they’ve been long working for.