US extends Iran nuke sanctions waivers but hits FM

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday extended waivers allowing foreign firms to work at Iranian nuclear facilities without U.S. penalties even as it hit Iran's foreign minister with sanctions.

In a notice sent to Congress, the State Department said it had extended for 90 days waivers that permit European, Russian and Chinese companies to conduct civilian-nuclear cooperation at several Iranian sites. The waivers, which were due to expire on Thursday, had been the subject of heated internal debate with Iran hawks opposed to their extension but others arguing that more time was needed to allow companies to wind down their operations.

The waivers are the last remaining elements that the U.S. still recognizes from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal from which President Donald Trump withdrew last year.

At the same time, the administration announced that it had imposed financial sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as part of its escalating campaign of pressure against the Islamic Republic. The highly unusual action of penalizing the top diplomat of another nation comes a month after Trump signed an executive order placing sanctions on Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Those sanctions are largely symbolic as U.S. officials said Zarif's travels to New York for official U.N. business will not be inhibited, in accordance with America's international obligations, and the fact that he has little financial interest in American jurisdictions.

In response to that announcement, Zarif tweeted, "It has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran."

Shortly after the Zarif sanctions were announced, the administration notified Congress that it had decided to renew the civilian-nuclear cooperation waivers...