And finally – there’s a mystery man, the fourth American prisoner who was released along with the others, but apparently stayed behind in Iran.
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The dispute came after worldwide nuclear sanctions were lifted on Iran for dramatically cutting back its nuclear programme and dumping tonnes of uranium in return for a lifting of crippling sanctions.
On Saturday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) formally announced that Iran had complied with the demands set out during the negotiations between it and six foreign powers – the US, France, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and Germany – in July 2015.
American officials said the prisoner exchange was not directly linked with the nuclear agreement but was a product of better relations.
U.S. media said Washington would either pardon or drop charges against seven Iranians in exchange for the Americans. The West had long suspected Iran’s nuclear program has military dimension.
Before the USA and the European Union imposed oil sanctions, Iran could sell oil to 21 countries, including primary customers in Asia and Europe.
Great news, everyone: Barack Obama has saved the world through “smart, patient and disciplined” diplomacy once again. And there was much more carping than celebrating over the release a day later of five Americans imprisoned by Iran.
During the meeting, Salehi said he has called on the IAEA to increase its bilateral technical cooperation with Iran to compensate for years of opportunities lost due to the fabricated nuclear case against Iran.
Mr Seif said that $28 billion would go to the central bank and $4 billion “will be transferred to the state treasury as the share of the government”. “We have consistently made clear that the United States will vigorously press sanctions against Iranian activities outside of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – including those related to Iran’s support for terrorism, regional destabilization, human rights abuses, and ballistic missile program”.
Should the deal hold, keeping a nuclear weapon out of their hands without resorting to war will be a major multilateral diplomatic accomplishment that should be emulated in defusing other rogue states.
He said: “We will prove it in practice by unveiling new missile achievements”.
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Hardline newspapers Kayhan and Vatan-e-Emrooz splashed the news on their front pages, crowding out a triumphal speech by President Hassan Rouhani, who on Sunday hailed the lifting of the nuclear sanctions. On Twitter and Instagram, the hashtag #ThankYouZarif was used repeatedly, with one Iranian business even making the hashtag into a discount code.
