Exemption of Bushehr, Arak, and Fordow Nuclear Facilities from US Sanctions

With the return of the second round of US sanctions against Iran, the US State Department announced on Monday, November 5, that the nuclear projects in Arak, Bushehr, and Fordow are temporarily exempt from sanctions. The spokesperson's office of the US State Department stated in a statement: "From today, all of Iran's nuclear activities are sanctioned, and only limited exemptions for certain nuclear facilities will be issued." The statement added: "We have not issued a new exemption for civilian nuclear projects. We only allow some ongoing projects to continue temporarily to prevent Iran from acquiring the capability to build nuclear weapons and to lock the Iranian nuclear program in its current state until we can reach a strong agreement that addresses our concerns." The spokesperson's office stated: "We specifically allow non-proliferation projects in Arak, Bushehr, and Fordow to continue under strict supervision to ensure transparency and maintain restrictions on Iran." This exemption comes while Russians are working at the Bushehr nuclear power plant. Additionally, the Chinese are set to repurpose the heavy water reactor in Arak according to the JCPOA. Previously, there were speculations about US cooperation regarding the repurposing of the Arak facility, which remained silent with the arrival of the Trump administration and its withdrawal from the JCPOA. On the other hand, according to the JCPOA, the Fordow nuclear facility must be transformed into a center for scientific and research activities with international cooperation. The US is seeking negotiations regarding the future of Iran's nuclear program after the JCPOA, its missile program, and Iran's regional activities. Meanwhile, officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran state that Tehran will not negotiate at all regarding the JCPOA and its missile program. Following the announcement of the US withdrawal from the six-power agreement with Iran, known as the JCPOA, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, who has repeatedly referred to this agreement as the "worst" deal made in US history, announced the return of all sanctions against Iran that had been suspended in 2015. US officials announced on Monday the return of all suspended sanctions against Iran under the JCPOA. US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin also stated that under the return of sanctions, over 700 individuals and entities, including 300 new cases, will be added to the US sanctions list.