The periodic US sanctions waivers grant exemptions from US sanctions against Iran, and allow foreign companies to collaborate on the civilian nuclear programme with Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation.

These exemptions give permission to non-US companies to work at two nuclear facilities in Iran. The Russian company Rosatom has worked at the fuel enrichment plant in Fordow and China National Nuclear Corporation has worked at the heavy water research reactor in Arak.

The renewal of waivers comes amid much pressure from foreign policy hawks in Washington who have been calling on the US president to discontinue these exemptions.

Republican Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Ted Cruz of Texas, criticised President Trump for the decision and said the waivers would allow Iran to build up its nuclear programme.

“This is disappointing and another lost opportunity to tear up the catastrophic Obama-Iran nuclear deal once and for all,” the two senators said in a joint statement. “President Trump should immediately order his administration to stop issuing civil nuclear waivers.”

Experts say there are two reasons for Mr Trump’s decision. “The first is that continuing these waivers is so obviously in the national security interest of the United States that even this administration is not blind to their benefits,” said Joseph Cirincione, president of the Ploughshares Fund, a nuclear weapons policy organisation in Washington.

“The second is that Trump wants to keep the sliver of a possibility of at least meeting with the Iranians before he is engulfed with impeachment and a tough re-election fight,” he told The Independent.

Mr Cirincione believes that North Korea and Iran are the only two places in the world where Mr Trump might secure some sort of diplomatic victory before the end of his term. “Both are long shots, but continuing the waivers gives him the possibility of a come-from-behind win,” he added.

The US administration then gradually re-imposed sanctions on Iran that target all of the country’s major industries.

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