United States president Barack Obama said the west had “cut off every single path” that Iran could have used to build a nuclear weapon through the landmark deal.
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Kerry also confirmed a report by The Washington Post that the flight out of Iran of Rezaian and two of the other Americans was delayed because of a mix-up over the fate of Rezaian’s wife Yeganeh.
Under the exchange, Washington said it had granted clemency to seven Iranians, six of whom were dual U.S.-Iranian citizens, and dropped charges against 14 others. Congressman Jim Costa sees the prisoner release and the nuclear deal with Iran as a cautious step forward.
Obama welcomed the Americans’ release, saying: “When Americans are freed, that’s something we can all celebrate”.
“As a result, the United States is imposing sanctions on individuals and companies working to advance Iran’s ballistic missile program”.
The United States, the European Union and the United Nations are lifting the sanctions that barred Iran from the global financial system for years, after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) certified on Saturday that Tehran was complying with the agreement to curb its nuclear program. The deal, facilitated by Switzerland, involved a plan to fly the four from Iran to Switzerland aboard a Swiss aircraft and then on to Germany for medical evaluation. Iran will get more than $400 million, plus $1.3 billion in interest.
He also said that Tehran had agreed to deepen coordination with the U.S.in trying to locate former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Robert Levinson, who disappeared nearly nine years ago during a visit to Iran. “Iranians are among the most educated workers in the world but, unfortunately, the unemployment rate is very high, their currency has been crushed”.
“We welcome news of the release of Jason Rezaian, who should never have been imprisoned in the first place”, said Sherif Mansour, CPJ Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, in a statement.
Obama reminded that the US still had sanctions on Iran for its alleged violations of human rights and alleged support for terrorism and ballistic missile program.
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In addition to the prisoner swap, the USA lifted economic sanctions against Iran as part of the nuclear accord. Despite all of the good news, the US reportedly added new sanctions against Iran, reports the BBC.
