Mr Obama said that Iran had “fulfilled key commitments” under last year’s nuclear deal, including filling in a plutonium reactor with concrete, removing two thirds of its uranium enrichment machines, and ditching large parts of its enriched Uranium stockpile.
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The Obama Administration reportedly chose to withhold sanctions against Iran over ballistic missile testing on fears that it would damage their ability to negotiate a prisoner exchange.
Many of President Obama’s political opponents also criticized the end of the sanctions. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said in an interview with “Fox News Sunday”.
“Any action will be met by a reaction”, he said.
“If you take an American hostage, Barack Obama will cut a deal with you, whether it’s Bergdahl, what he did with the Castro brothers, and now what he’s done with Iran”, Rubio said during an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation”.
Democratic lawmakers who supported the agreement applauded the sanctions announced Sunday.
“This is a good day”, Obama said.
The Obama administration worked for almost 14 months behind the scenes to negotiate the prisoner trade.
HORSLEY: Yeah, just as soon as those four Americans were out of Iranian territory, the Treasury Department leveled new sanctions against five Iranian individuals, as well as a company based in the United Arab Emirates, which has links to China. He emphasized that they were not charged with terrorism or any violent offenses.
Simultaneously Washington and Tehran unveiled a prisoner swap deal that released high-profile American prisoners.
“Engaging directly with the Iranian government on a sustained basis for the first time in decades has created a unique opportunity, a window, to try to resolve important issues”, he said. Iran will get more than $400 million, plus $1.3 billion in interest. There was no point in dragging out that dispute, he said.
“This is a good day because now we see what’s possible with good American diplomacy”, Obama said from the White House. “We can lead this world and make it safer and more secure”. “The Iranian government has implemented its pledges pertaining to economic promises and is committed to do so”, Rouhani said, vowing to raise the GDP from the current three percent to five percent in the next year. He also confirmed the United States was provide clemency to six Iranian-Americans held by USA authorities. “As I said in my State of the Union address, ensuring the security of the United States and the security of our people demands a smart, patient, and disciplined approach to the world”.
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Speaking from the White House, the US President explained how 98% of Tehran’s stockpile of enriched uranium had been shipped out of Iran – “meaning they do not have enough material for even one bomb”.
