Biden admin will waive sanctions so Russia can build contested nuclear plant
BREAKING: New Iran Deal Lets Russia Cash in on $10 Billion Contract To Build Nuke Sites — Biden admin will waive sanctions so Russia's top energy firm can build contested Iranian nuke plant, enriching Moscow even as Ukraine sanctions bite https://t.co/imW59BRXTY
— Adam Kredo (@Kredo0) March 16, 2022
Russian and Iranian documents translated for the Washington Free Beacon show that Rosatom, Russia’s leading energy company, has a $10 billion contract with Iran’s atomic energy organization to expand Tehran’s Bushehr nuclear plant. Russia and the Biden administration confirmed on Tuesday that the new nuclear agreement includes carveouts that will waive sanctions on both countries so that Russia can make good on this contract.
The removal of these sanctions will provide Moscow’s Rosatom company with a critical source of revenue as American and European sanctions crush Russia’s economy in response to its invasion of Ukraine. The concessions to Moscow have generated frustration on Capitol Hill, with top Republican leaders accusing the Biden administration of weakening penalties on Russia to secure an agreement with Iran. Moscow has served as the United States’ top interlocutor in talks, even as the country’s war machine rolls across Ukraine. The Free Beacon first reported on Tuesdaythat a policy document circulating among lawmakers exposes how the new nuclear agreement will create a “sanctions evasion hub” for Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Gabriel Noronha, a former State Department special adviser for Iran under Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, told the Free Beacon that Russia is being awarded a financial lifeline via the nuclear agreement, undermining international efforts to isolate Moscow.
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