Sanctions On Iran May Be Reduced By US

Sanctions On Iran May Be Reduced By US

Although it may take some time, the United States indicated that sanctions on Iran may be removed if the country will alleviate concerns on its nuclear program. This was revealed recently by a senior administration official of the United States, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official indicated that Tehran may disagree on the proportion, but the US is willing to match whatever Iran has to offer in terms of relieving sanctions imposed on the country. The statement was made prior to the discussion between the six major world powers with Iran on its nuclear program.

To show that the United States is serious in easing the sanctions on Iran, Adam Szubin has joined the US delegation to the talks. Szubin is the Office of Foreign Assets Control director of the Treasury Department and the leading sanctions expert of the US. The top sanctions official of the European Union also joined the delegation of the EU at the talks.

Iran has maintained that its nuclear program was designed to produce energy. The expansion of the nuclear fuel program resulted to harsh sanctions on Iran following its rejection of the demand of the UN Security Council to end uranium enrichment.

When President Hassan Rouhani of Iran visited New York last month, he said that he would like an agreement with the P5+1 within the next six months. However, expectations that a deal will be reached within the week were played down by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Despite the good will from both sides, Zarif indicated that a ministerial meeting may be required to implement the agreement. Rouhani encouraged the Obama administration, according to the unnamed US official.

The official added that three priorities were required by Washington in connection to the assurances of Iran. The first priority is that steps should be taken by Tehran on its production of nuclear material. Second, Tehran should make sure their nuclear program is transparent, and third, is for the country to consider steps in dealing with its nuclear material stockpile.

Iran recently rejected a demand for its enriched uranium to be sent abroad, but hinted of being flexible with other issues that may contribute to the reducing the sanctions on Iran.

Posted by James Fried on Tuesday October 15 2013, 2:53 AM EST. Ref: Reuters. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0