Saudi Arabia welcomes US ending sanctions waiver for Iran’s Fordow

Saudi Arabia welcomed on Wednesday the US decision to end a sanctions waiver related to Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

A source in the Saudi Foreign Ministry told SPA that the Kingdom “supports the American step due to its importance in confronting Iran’s violations of international agreements related to its nuclear program.”

The US announced Monday it would halt sanctions waivers for Iran’s Fordow plant, ending a key part of a landmark nuclear deal after Tehran said it had resumed enrichment activities.

The Trump administration, which last year pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran, had until Monday let the work go forward at the Fordow fuel enrichment plant by issuing waivers to sanctions that bar non-US firms from dealing with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI).

The UN atomic watchdog and Iran itself said this month Tehran is again enriching uranium at the sensitive site, which Iran hid from UN non-proliferation inspectors until its exposure in 2009.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pointed to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s announcement of renewed activity at Fordow – a series of steps taken by Tehran as it presses European allies to make good on sanctions relief promised for compliance.

“Therefore the United States will terminate the sanctions waiver related to the nuclear facility at Fordow effective December 15, 2019,” Pompeo told a news conference.