Iran Sanctions Could Be Lifted As Soon As January

Iran has been dismantling parts of its nuclear program faster than many anticipated and could meet its obligations for the lifting of some sanctions as soon as January, according to some officials monitoring the agreement.

Iran's nuclear deal with world powers includes a key target known as “implementation day.” No specific date was set when the agreement was reached last July to great fanfare.

Implementation day will arrive when international inspectors determine that Iran has taken initial steps to curb its nuclear program. In turn, Iran will get sanctions relief as promised in the deal.

Obama administration officials say the nuclear deal was front loaded, requiring Iran to take the first steps. The country must dismantle some two-thirds of its nuclear centrifuges and ship out or dilute a large portion of its enriched uranium.

Many analysts predicted this would not happen until the spring of 2016. But Iran says it plans to fulfill its part by January and the International Atomic Energeny Agency, which is inspecting Iran's facilities, says this is possible.

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Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies says the Obama administration is giving away too much, too soon. He also says the U.S. should be pushing back against recent Iranian missile tests that violate United Nations resolutions and press for the release of imprisoned Americans, including Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian.

“The administration would have been wise to have taken a little more time,” he says. The U.S. should “retain some economic leverage to push back against Iranian missile violations, support for terrorism and other illicit activities.”

Dubowitz worries that the Revolutionary Guards Corps will benefit most from the sanctions relief on the key economic sectors it controls.

“The Revolutionary Guards ultimately get the greatest benefit from this deal,” he adds. “They get all their money, they can continue their ballistic missile activity, their regional aggression. They can hold our hostages, they can arrest more of our hostages and they have a nuclear program that has just been put on pause.”

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