While everyone was focused on the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, Joe Biden and his administration quietly waived sanctions on Iran as nuclear talks between the U.S. and Tehran restart.

The Washington Free Beacon reported that the waiver notification was signed on November 19, but it was not sent to Congress until the nuclear talks restarted on November 29. The timing of this has led some to accuse the Biden administration of trying to get some goodwill with Iran in the midst of the nuclear talks.

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Richard Goldberg, the former director for countering Iranian weapons of mass destruction on Donald Trump’s White House National Security Council, described this waiver as a “dressed-up Chanukah present to” Iran.

“This is just another unfortunate example of projecting weakness and deference at a time when the U.S. needs to build leverage and project strength,” said Goldberg, who now acts as a senior adviser to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank. “If the waiver was going to be renewed for Iraq relations, it should have been messaged and announced well before arrival in Vienna. It just screams desperation.”

Thanks to the waiver, Iran will have 120 more days to sell electricity to Iraq without facing penalties in an arrangement that has led to a substantial income for the regime. When Trump was in office, he limited the waiver’s time frame in an attempt to scale down these sales, but Biden has since renewed them for a maximum of 120 days.

The State Department issued a statement claiming that it tried to “deliver the classified portion on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 23 and 24, but due to the closure of congressional offices in connection to the Thanksgiving holiday were not able to identify appropriate recipients.” They alleged that this is why Congress did not see the waiver until last Monday.

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“In light of the considerations detailed in the classified annex to this report, the secretary determined this waiver is in the national security interest of the United States, and vital to the national security of the United States, with respect to Iraq, and certifies that this jurisdiction faced exceptional circumstances preventing it from significantly reducing its purchases of petroleum and petroleum products from Iran,” the waiver stated. “Iraq continues to be a critical partner in the region, and its continued concrete political and economic cooperation is expected as a result of this waiver.”

A State Department spokesman confirmed that the waiver had been sent out and claimed that it is meant to help ensure Iraq can generate energy. This spokesman refused to comment on the timing of the waiver.

“The secretary has renewed the sanctions waiver for Iraq to engage in financial transactions related to the import of electricity from Iran,” the spokesman said. “The waiver ensures that Iraq is able to meet its short-term energy needs while it takes steps to reduce its dependence on Iranian energy imports.” The waiver was granted “at the secretary [of state’s] discretion.”

This piece was written by James Samson on December 4, 2021. It originally appeared in RedVoiceMedia.com and is used by permission.

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