Iran's plans to leave nuclear deal might not be as dramatic as they sound
Things are happening quickly in the wake of the Trump administration's decision to kill Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani in an airstrike this week.
Not long after the Iraqi parliament voted to compel the government to kick the U.S. military out of the country, Iran announced Sunday it will no longer adhere to any limits set by the 2015 nuclear deal, which the likes of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom had been committed to salvaging after the United States unilaterally backed out of the agreement in 2018. But much like the move by Iraqi lawmakers, Iran's announcement leaves a little more wiggle room than initially appears.
Seemingly, the announcement leaves those European states with their hands in their pockets, but in a state television broadcast, Tehran said it was open to negotiations with the continental powers. The announcement also reportedly did not indicate Tehran would attempt to build a nuclear weapon, despite scrapping provisions that blocked them from acquiring enough material to do so. Instead, Iran will reportedly continue uranium enrichment based on their "technical needs."
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That vague language does leave the door open for a few options, but Iran is also apparently still going to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and would be willing to recommit to the nuclear agreement's obligations if sanctions are listed. So, it looks like another wait-and-see moment.
Read more at The Associated Press.
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
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