It's a Matter of Time

Posted: June 5th, 2016

By Adam Smith

Adam Smith recently joined Gibson Dunn's Washington, D.C. office after five years in the Obama Administration at the White House and Treasury working as a senior sanctions official. He spearheaded the Administration's efforts to implement Congressionally-mandated secondary sanctions on Iran, developed sanctions relief strategies in the context of the Iran nuclear agreement, authored industry guidance and advisories, and negotiated parallel sanctions measures put in place by the European Union and other states including Switzerland, Japan, Australia, and Canada.

Although the implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in January lifted some international sanctions on Iran, many non-nuclear sanctions remain in place. As a result, the return of international investment to the country has been slower than expected, raising temperatures in Tehran. Former Treasury Department official Adam Smith sat down in a Q&A with The Cipher Brief to explain why remaining U.S. sanctions continue to pose a risk for non-U.S. entities and how this could be a problem that the private sector must solve itself.

The Cipher Brief: Concerning the JCPOA – how did it change sanctions environment in Iran?

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