The United States imposed sanctions on 11 companies and individuals for supplying Iran’s ballistic missile program in a move delayed by over two weeks so as not to endanger this weekend’s release of USA prisoners, sources familiar with the matter said.
Advertisement
United Nations experts said in a report in December that the missile test in October violated sanctions banning Iran from launches capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
He added that Tehran saw fresh economic sanctions as “illegitimate”.
Earlier Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said his country won’t trust a country like the U.S. “for the sake of a nuclear deal”.
The accord, known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, would provide sanctions relief for Iran in exchange for limits on its controversial nuclear programme.
Meanwhile the head of Iran’s central bank said the country is now able to access 32 billion dollars in unfrozen assets.
Belarus supports the efforts of Iran and the global mediators to lift the sanctions imposed on the Islamic State of Iran and create a favorable worldwide environment, the ministry said.
“We will continue to enforce these sanctions vigorously”, Obama said referring to the ballistic missile tests. The four, along with USA student Matthew Trevithick, who was released separately, were free in exchange for pardons or dropped charges for seven Iranians detained for sanctions violations.
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano was due to hold talks in Tehran today on ensuring Iran’s continued compliance with a nuclear deal the United States and Iranian presidents hailed as a historic breakthrough. Iranian media say the military has test-fired several short-range missiles, including the type Palestinian militant Hamas group used to attack Tel Aviv last November.
Advertisement
Under July’s deal, Iran’s nuclear activities will be severely constrained and remain under strict oversight for the next decade, but Tehran will then be able to scale up its production of nuclear fuel. The first two being the implementation of the nuclear deal and the freeing of the Americans imprisoned in Iran, including Washington Post reporter correspondent Jason Rezaian, and the third was the settlement of a years-long lawsuit between Iran and the US.
