Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hailed the nuclear deal, which has faced opposition by hardliners at home, as a “golden page” in Iran’s history and said it could be used as a model to resolve other regional issues.
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The incident is a huge turnaround from just a few days earlier, when US-Iran relations seemed to be at a high point.
Saturday’s developments brought to fruition a deal struck last summer on the 18th day of last-ditch talks in Vienna, capped more than two years of wrangling between Iran and the U.S., China, Russia, Germany, France and the United Kingdom. USA 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…. 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.
He said he’s seen a very positive reaction from Iranians he has contact with on social media.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano announced Saturday that Iran completed necessary preparatory steps to start implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“With the nuclear deal done, prisoners released, the time was right to resolve this dispute as well”, he said, adding that the USA remained “steadfast in opposing Iran’s destabilizing behavior elsewhere”.
Describing the accord a unique example in the history of diplomacy, Rouhani said Iran was committed not to pursue nuclear weapons. A fifth American, Matthew Trevithick, was released separately. The settlement, reached through arbitration at the Hague Claims Tribunal, related to funds once earmarked for Iran to buy US military equipment before Iran’s revolution in 1979.
Iran insists all of its nuclear activities are peaceful.
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“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. Kerry noted that US claims against Iran amounting to $2.5 billion have already been settled.
