29 Mar 2024
Saturday 16 January 2016 - 11:56
Story Code : 196991

Obama allows sale of aircraft to Iran as nuclear deal nears implementation

WASHINGTONPresident Obamatook another step toward implementing the Iran nuclear deal Friday, empoweringthe secretary of State to allowthe export of civilian passenger aircraft to Iran.

White House officials stressed Friday that no sanctions relief will happen until Iran lives up to its end of the deal and theInternational Atomic Energy Agencyverifies its compliance. That verification may be imminent, they said.

"They have nearly completed their majornuclear steps, and that's nothing to gloss over," Deputy National Security AdviserBen Rhodessaid at a luncheon hosted by Bloomberg News Friday. "It's a significant rollback in the Iranian program."

Rhodes said that the IAEA certification will trigger what's known as "Implementation Day."

"Thatshould happen relatively soon, certainly in the coming days. That is when sanctions relief is initiated," he said.

The nuclear agreement lifts only part of theU.S. sanctions against Iran, and sanctions for Iran's human rights violations and support of terrorism will remain in place. And while the U.S. trade embargo remains largely intact, the agreement makes two exceptions: Iran can buy U.S. civilian passenger aircraft, and sell certain crafts specifically, carpets and rugs to the United States.

In 2010, Congress granted Obama the authority to allow exports ofgoods, services, or technologies to Iran if he determinesthose sales "to be in the national interest." On Friday, Obama delegated that authority toSecretary of State John Kerrythrough a presidential memorandum,a presidential directive similar to an executive order.

In a letter to Obama Friday, 13Republican senators called for new sanctions on Iran for ballistic missile tests it conducted last year. "Irans belligerent actions have thus far gone unpunished," said the letter, written by Sen. David Purdue, R-Ga.

White House Press SecretaryJosh EarnestsaidFriday that the sanctions relief under the nuclear deal doesn't preclude the United States from taking action against Iran on other fronts.

"We have been quite clear from the very beginning long before a deal was even reached that the negotiations were focused primarily onIrans nuclear program.That was our number one concern.Its also the number one concern of our allies in Israel, as well," he said. "And weve been pretty clear about the fact that Iran is potentially subject to significant sanctions as a result of the ballistic missile testing that has been reported. So we're going to continue to apply pressure to them."

By USA Today
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