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. Iran’s recent missile test, for example, was a violation of its global obligations.
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Just hours before Obama’s final State of the Union address, Iran seized two U.S. Navy boats and 10 sailors who had drifted into the country’s territorial waters.
Obama also said that the USA remains steadfast against Iran’s threats to Israel and others in the region, for example by enforcing new sanctions against Iran’s ballistic program. “Today will prove that we can solve important problems through diplomacy”, he said. They have also put restrictions on foreign ventures to engage in Iran’s energy and infrastructure development.
While monitoring the implementation process of the U.S. undertakings under the JCPOA, the Islamic Republic will respond to such propaganda campaigns and cases of harassment by pursuing its legitimate missile program more seriously and boosting its defense capabilities, it added.
Adam Szubin, acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, reiterated the United States will vigorously press sanctions against Iranian activities outside of the nuclear deal. On Saturday, the US and Iran announced that four Americans detained in Iran would be released from prison and the USA would pardon or drop charges against seven Iranians accused or convicted of violating US sanctions. Iran’s Central Bank Governor, Valiollah Seif, was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying that Iran will not transfer the cash and instead will use it to import the goods it needs.
The president spoke at the close of an extraordinary weekend that saw back-to-back the release of five imprisoned Americans and the termination of billions in worldwide sanctions on Iran as part of the nuclear accord.
Information that US President Barack Obama’s administration deferred the announcement of new sanctions for a month in order to ensure the return of its prisoners was disclosed yesterday.
Abbas Akhondi, the Iranian transport minister, said his country had reached a deal with the European consortium Airbus to buy 114 passenger planes once the sanctions are lifted.
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“Iran’s missile programme has never been created to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons”, Mr Ansari said.
