The U.S. Treasury Department unleashed sanctions against 11 people and companies involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program Sunday, just one day after President Obama lifted sanctions based on Iran’s nuclear program. Ansari referred to the new penalties as illegitimate, saying his country “responds with determination to such propaganda by accelerating its legal ballistic missile program and boosting defense capabilities”.
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On Saturday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified Iran’s compliance with the terms of the JCPOA.
In a joint statement, the European Union and Iran said numerous nuclear-related sanctions had been lifted immediately after Iran had completed the steps needed to implement July’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The Iranian president also said the deal was a “turning point” for Iran’s economy, which was severely weakened by having been shut out of global markets for the last five years.
The seven Iranians released from American prison were either convicted or accused of purposely violating us sanctions against Tehran.
Amano arrived in Tehran on Sunday as he prepares the introduction of measures giving his agency greater inspection powers in order to ensure any nuclear materials in Iran will only be used for peaceful purposes.
Mr Rouhani on Sunday said the implementation of the nuclear deal – negotiated with the United States, Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany – had “opened a new chapter” in Iran’s relations with the world.
Rezaian had spent 445 days in captivity in Iran, the longest time an American has been held captive in the country, even longer than the American hostages in the 1979-80 Iran hostage crisis. Iran will get more than $400 million, plus $1.3 billion in interest.
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The deal was finalized hours after the United Nations reported that Iran had made good on pledges to significantly back away from atomic bomb-making capacity and unlocked some $100 billion in frozen Iranian assets overseas. The letters of credit had been issued through the Central Bank of Iran, the national Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Trade. Nicholas Burns, a former American diplomat and a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, explains what the prisoner swap and sanctions mean for the U.S.-Iranian relationship going forward.
