White House: Lifting Iran's Sanctions on the First Day of Agreement is Unwise

The White House announced that the timing and speed of lifting sanctions on Iran will be discussed in future negotiations, while the Obama administration is also opposed to lifting sanctions on the same day that a potential nuclear agreement is implemented. According to Reuters, Josh Earnest, the White House spokesman, stated on Monday, April 6, that "no agreement has yet been reached on the details of lifting the sanctions." He then added, "The [U.S.] government strongly believes that it is unwise to lift sanctions on the first day." Previously, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had stated that "all sanctions and six UN Security Council resolutions will be lifted on the day the nuclear agreement is implemented." However, the French Foreign Minister also described the timing of lifting Iran's sanctions as "complex" and emphasized that no agreement has been reached on this matter. Meanwhile, Ernest Moniz, the U.S. Secretary of Energy, called the potential nuclear agreement a "forever agreement" that would prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. According to the Associated Press, Mr. Moniz stated during a White House press conference on Monday, "This is not a time-limited agreement, but in a sense, it is a forever agreement with various phases." He noted that the final agreement with Iran is not based on trust but on a series of strict requirements, including unprecedented inspections and transparency of Iran's nuclear program. He then stated that the differences seen in the versions released by Iran and the U.S. of the Lausanne understanding are due to the different emphases that the parties have placed on various sections, otherwise there is no disagreement between the parties over the content. Previously, some members of the U.S. Congress, including several Democrats, expressed concern that Iran might not adhere to its commitments after sanctions are lifted. However, Barack Obama defended the potential nuclear agreement, stating that it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and to create stability in the Middle East. On the other hand, Hassan Rouhani emphasized that "the Islamic Republic will adhere to any promise made in the negotiations, provided that the other side also fulfills its promises."