Iran nuclear deal: What happens next?

US President Donald Trump. (AFP)

LONDON: While most experts anticipate US President Donald Trump will extend waivers on sanctions against Iran on Friday, the administration is seeking to amend the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act which gives congress the authority to review decisions the White House makes related to Iran’s nuclear program.
The Trump administration has strongly opposed the “Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act” or INARA, which requires the president to certify every 90 days that “Iran is transparently, verifiably and fully implementing the agreement.”
In October, Trump decided not to certify Iran’s compliance, but extended sanctions-relief for another three months. Talks are underway, according to US media outlets, to amend INARA so that the office of the president would not be required to confirm Iran’s good behavior every quarter.
Amendments to INARA are likely to dominate the next-chapter in the Iran deal, said Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior Iran analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “Keep your eyes on the senate,” he said.
Moreover, a slew of sanctions not directly related to Iran’s nuclear program, including measures against Iranian state TV and charitable endowments linked to the regime, may be announced in the coming weeks as the White House seeks avenues to punish Tehran cracking down on nation-wide protests, says Michael Pregent, an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute, an American Think Tank.
“Sanctions will be on ballistic missiles, human rights abusers, the IRIB (state-run media apparatus), and other financial entities,” he said.