Also released were Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, former U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari – all four of whom have American-Iranian citizenship.
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In another crucial development as part of this weekend’s diplomacy, the U.S. and Iran implemented a prisoner swap, leading to the release of five Americans from Iranian custody, while seven Iranians, six of them dual Iranian-American citizens, were granted clemency in the USA; all were accused of having violated trade sanctions against Iran.
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.
Iran denounced new U.S. sanctions on its missile programme on Monday but pushed ahead with worldwide cooperation after its historic nuclear deal.
“With the nuclear deal done, prisoners released, the time was right to resolve this dispute as well”, he said. The U.S. reportedly agreed with the United Nations experts’ assessment. US experts had estimated that Iran would need until March to complete all the work involved in idling two-thirds of centrifuges, exporting almost all of its spent fuel, removing a reactor core and pouring concrete in it….
This is a clean bill of health certifying that all nuclear activities in Iran are being used for peaceful purposes, and Amano said last year that this could take “years and years”.
Iran will receive $32 billion of unfrozen assets after sanctions were lifted under its nuclear deal, the central bank said Tuesday, in a boost to an economy sapped by years of isolation.
“We Iranians have reached out to the world… have opened a new chapter in the relations of Iran with the world”, the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.
But the Iranians arrived at the latest clandestine session in a Geneva hotel suite with a whole new proposal that insisted on the release of dozens of Iranians held in USA prisons, essentially returning to initial demands that had long since been rejected.
Iran will also remain under an arms ban and be prohibited from transferring ballistic missiles and other nuclear- related materials.
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“A bipartisan majority in the House voted to reject this deal in the first place, and we will continue to do everything possible to prevent a nuclear Iran”, he said in a statement. But unlike North Korea, Iran has been bold by showing willingness to come to the talks table to remove concerns over its nuclear programme.
