By Javad Heirannia

Sanctions have been part of U.S. foreign policy since the beginning of the Republic: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that “Sanctions have been part of U.S. foreign policy since the beginning of the Republic.”

By Javad Heirannia

U.S. referring to trigger mechanism is irrelevant: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that U.S. referring to trigger mechanism “is a bit irrelevant.”

By Javad Heirannia

Reducing Iran's commitments is the result of Trump's operations: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that I can understand why Iran is preparing to halt its implementation of these key parts of the JCPOA and “do not deny at all the responsibility that the Trump Administration bears in this matter.”

By Javad Heirannia

Naming IRGC as a terrorist group undermine chances of U.S. returning to JCPOA: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that naming IRGC as a foreign terrorist group “was intended to increase the pressure on the IRGC and the Iranian government by adding economic pressure.”

By Javad Heirannia

There is no relation between delays in SPV with Iran’ missile program: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that I think the main cause of the delay in SPV (special purpose vehicle) has been to create a structure that avoids to the extent possible the risk of U.S. sanctions while at the same time providing Iran with something meaningful.  

By Javad Heirannia

I do not think SPV covering wide areas of trade: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that “I do think that there will be something called the SPV eventually created that facilitates trade between Europe and Iran, but I do not think it will be the same sort of SPV that was announced in September, covering wide areas of trade.”

By Javad Heirannia

New sanctions on Iran will not fulfill U.S. national interest: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that U.S. new sanctions on Iran will not fulfill U.S. national interest in long term

By Javad Heirannia

U.S. sanctions on Iran can affect trade of humanitarian goods: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that it is certainly true that U.S. sanctions on Iran can affect the trade of humanitarian goods and the hostile licensing policy from the United States on civil aviation licenses is a complication.

By Javad Heirannia

EU resistance against U.S. on Iran is limited: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that Trump believes that the Blocking Statute law “will be ineffective unless the EU is really prepared to retaliate against the United States for its sanctions policies and to make it costly on the United States to take these steps.”

By Javad Heirannia

Trump thinks trough meeting with Rouhani can solve all U.S. problems with Iran: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that Trump believes that “if he met with Rouhani, he could solve all U.S. problems with Iran.”

By Hanif Ghaffari

The true face of American Democrats

Donald Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran and the re-enforcement of U.S. secondary sanctions against our country have raised the opposition of the Democratic politicians and members of the U.S. Senate.

By Javad Heirannia

There are various means for EU to undermine U.S. sanctions: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that “There are various means for the EU to undermine U.S. sanctions and thereby provide assurance to business, but they require a confrontation with Iran.”

By Javad Heirannia

Presented documents by Netanyahu hadn't new information: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that “The documents presented by PM Netanyahu do not appear to provide any new information about Iran’s past nuclear weapons program.”

By Javad Heirannia

How North Korea’s denuclearization is defined is important

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that “the biggest difference is that the North feels confident in its nuclear weapons program, making it possible for them to enter into these talks, and the South is not confident in the future of its alliance with the United States (in no small part due to Trump).”

By Javad Heirannia

Substantial part of the "pain" of sanctions was being applied on Iranian people: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that “Iranian government is composed of Iranian people and that, by virtue of applying sanctions and pain, we were influencing them as well. And that answer is largely true, in my view.”

By Javad Heirannia

JCPOA future is very limited: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that “Bolton and Pompeo are both much more hawkish.”

By Javad Heirannia

‘Saudis may not give up their right to enriching uranium, reprocessing plutonium’

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that the newly revealed documents of the U.S. State Department “The Saudis are concerned about Iran's nuclear program and want to ensure that they are in possession of a similarly advanced one.”

By Javad Heirannia

Newly revealed U.S. document about JCPOA means “nothing”: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that the newly revealed documents of the U.S. State Department “do not often echo exactly what presidents say, rather using diplomatic language and a softer tone. It may mean nothing, therefore.”

By Javad Heirannia

Europe will not accept Trump’s conditions about the JCPOA: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, believes that neither Europe nor Iran will accept Trump’ conditions about the JCPOA.

Nephew: Trump hates JCPOA while he doesn't understand it

Richard Nephew, program director at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, told CNBC on Friday that “the simple reality is that Trump hates the JCPOA even as he doesn't understand it.” 

By Javad Heirannia

Iran won’t accept restrictions on uranium enrichment permanent: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that I do not believe the EU will accept to make restrictions on Iran's uranium enrichment permanent.

By Javad Heirannia

Amano has mandate to provide some verification and assurances requiring Section T: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that “I believe that Director General Amano is simply underscoring that he has a mandate to provide some verification and assurances requiring Section T, but does not have clarity as to exactly what he can insist upon and when.”

By Javad Heirannia

Likely Trump will decline to certify JCPOA: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that “I think it is likely that Mr. Trump will decline to certify that the JCPOA is in the U.S. national security interest when he needs to next make that judgment (October 15).”

Ex-White House expert: U.S. reputation at risk in IAEA

TEHRAN - Unnecessary demands on Iran by Donald Trump's administration have put the reputation of the U.S. at risk at the International Atomic Energy Agency, a former White House expert has said.

By Javad Heirannia

Iran intended to show military power by firing missiles at ISIL: Richard Nephew 

TEHRAN – By firing missiles at ISIS positions in Syria on June 18, Iran intended to show its military power to countries inside and outside the region, says Richard Nephew who worked on Iran sanctions issues for the Obama administration.

‘U.S. non-compliance to undermine possible use of sanctions in future’

TEHRAN – A former U.S. official who has been named architect of sanctions on Iran believes if the U.S. does not abide by its commitments under the nuclear deal, its ability to use such coercive measures as a tool in the future will be undermined.