Nuke deal between Iran and world powers takes effect

Gregory Korte | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — President Obama will sign an order Sunday directing his administration to begin issuing waivers to Iran nuclear sanctions — but the waivers will only go into effect once Iran meets its obligations under the agreement limiting its nuclear program, senior administration officials said.

The presidential memorandum marks what's being called "adoption day" for the international agreement intended to roll back Iran's nuclear program. But administration officials made clear that the milestone is a mere formality, driven more more by the calendar than by any action by Iran.

Sunday marks 90 days since the United Nations Security Council approved the agreement. "So adoption day is a calendar-driven event and it’s the day at which all the parties begin to take the steps they need to make sure they take to get to implementation day," said State Department spokesman John Kirby. "And we’re not at implementation day; that’s a whole different purpose."

No date is set for implementation day. Under the agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, implementation will come only when the International Atomic Energy Agency certifies that Iran has lived up to its obligations to reduce its stockpiles of enriched uranium, dismantle two-thirds of its centrifuges, and halt construction of new nuclear facilities..

Western officials have said they expect that to take four to six months. "We do envision that happening in a fair amount of time. Obviously, Iran has a motivation to do that as soon as possible," said a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the State Department. "For us, it’s important that it’s done right, not that it’s done quickly."

The agreement, signed by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, Germany and Iran, requires President Obama and the European Union to direct the issuance of waivers on adoption day. Even though they won't go into effect for months, the arrangement allows businesses to know what sanctions are being waived, another senior administration official said.

Most of the sanctions being lifted apply only to non-U.S. citizens and companies doing business with Iran. Most sanctions will still apply to U.S. citizens under separate sanctions imposed on Iran for its support of terrorism and human rights violations. But sales of civilian passenger aircraft and handicrafts — most notably carpets — will be allowed.

The sanctions against Iran are authorized by Congress but implemented via executive order. Obama can waive those executive orders after Democrats in the Senate filibustered a resolution that would have blocked the agreement last month.

But the the adoption day comes amid renewed tensions with Iran over its involvement in the Syrian Civil War and its test launch of a ballistic missile — reportedly capably of carrying a nuclear warhead — on Oct. 10.

But as he has throughout the negotiation, Obama maintained Friday that those issues are separate from the more urgent need to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon.

"This is something that I made very clear during the debate around the Iran nuclear deal: The Iran nuclear deal solves a specific problem, which is making sure that they don't possess a nuclear weapon," he said after meeting with the South Korean president to discuss, among other things, North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

"It does not fully resolve the wide range of issues where we’ve got a big difference. And so we are going to have to continue to put pressure on them through the international community and, where we have bilateral channels, through bilateral channels to indicate to them that there are costs to bad behavior in the region and around the world," Obama said.

In Munich Saturday, a top Iranian military official said Iran was eager to cooperate with the international inspectors and would implement the agreement with "utmost prudence."

"It will be the gateway to Iran's taking next steps and will demonstrate the level of sincerity in the settlement of the problems which were created unjustly by others," the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, told Iran's state news agency.