“We can confirm that our detained USA citizens have been released and that those who wished to depart Iran have left”, said a United States official.
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At the same time, the president announced new sanctions in response to two Iranian ballistic missile tests past year that violated worldwide rules and sparked criticism of Obama’s approach to Iran at home. “Most of all, we achieved this historic result through diplomacy, without risking another war in the Middle East”, Obama said in a televised statement from the White House. “Once again we’re seeing what’s possible with strong American diplomacy”.
Under the nuclear deal signed between the world powers and Iran, Tehran will “not get its hands on a nuclear programme”, Obama said.
And American economic sanctions were officially lifted after officials confirmed Iran was following the terms of a deal to prevent it from getting a nuclear weapon.
While U.S. officials say Iran will only pocket about $50 billion of those assets after legal claims, the announcement of this new settlement could add fuel to the fire for critics who say the U.S.is funding a destructive regime. USA officials said Iran receives $400 million for the purchase and $1.3 billion in interest.
The Americans released in the deal were Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post reporter; former Marine Amir Hekmati; Saeed Abedini, a pastor; and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari. “On the sidelines of the nuke negotiations, our diplomats at the highest level, including Secretary [John] Kerry, used every meeting to push Iran to release our Americans”, he said.
“We Iranians have reached out to the world … have opened a new chapter in the relations of Iran with the world”, Mr Rouhani said.
Iran on Sunday called on global entrepreneurs to participate in its economy after the comprehensive deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme officially took effect on Saturday.
A day after Washington and the European Union lifted economic sanctions under a nuclear deal with Tehran, the United States on January 17 announced fresh sanctions against Iranian companies and individuals linked to Iran’s missile program.
The U.S. released seven Iranian prisoners in exchange. “We are going to remain vigilant about it”. After the exchange happened yesterday, however, the USA went ahead with the sanctions anyhow.
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“From Presidents Franklin Roosevelt to John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan, the United States has never been afraid to pursue diplomacy with our adversaries” he said.
