Trump Should Extend Iran Sanctions Relief on May 19: AEOI Chief

Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi underlined that Washington has to extend the suspension of US nuclear-related sanctions against Iran as a commitment under the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world power.

“Mr Trump is currently making loud statements; and it is not clear what decision he wants to take. [But] he has to suspend the sanctions statute once again on May 19,” Salehi said Monday in response to recent rhetoric from Washington.

“If he doesn’t, an explicit non-performance of the JCPOA will have occurred; everyone agrees about that,” he added, referring to the nuclear deal.

He reiterated that the US should suspend the specific sanctions that it has undertaken to suspend under the international deal, which has been endorsed in a UN Security Council resolution, as well.

Many of the other parties to the deal have declared that they would not be supporting unilateral US action concerning the multilateral deal, Salehi further stated.

The US rhetoric has raised concern that Washington may not extend the sanctions relief — one of its commitments under the deal— despite verified Iranian commitment to the deal.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said recently Washington is reviewing whether offering such sanctions relief “is vital to the national security interests of the United States.”