Obama says ‘tireless’ effort led to prisoner release

The US has imposed sanctions over Iran’s ballistic missile testing even as President Barack Obama hailed the release of five Americans from Tehran’s custody and the implementation of a nuclear deal he hopes will stand among his lasting foreign policy achievements.

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.

“This is a good day”, Obama said Sunday from the Cabinet Room at the White House.

Under the deal, the USA was pardoning or dropping charges against seven Iranians citizens accused or convicted of violating US sanctions.

Obama still signaled an optimistic outlook for Iran’s future, calling on “young Iranians” to take advantage of the changing dynamic between the us and Iranian governments.

The Obama adminstration announced new penalties on 11 individuals and entities involved in Tehran’s ballistic missles program. A fifth American, student Matthew Trevithick, who was released separately, appears to have left Iran before the others. The BBC reports that the International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to announce that Iran has fulfilled its part of the nuclear agreement and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif announced on Saturday that international sanctions against Iran will now end as a result.

Obama said the released Iranians weren’t charged with terrorism.

Clinton also responded to the just-released movie about the attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, “13 Hours”, saying she hadn’t seen it but “I know people have raised questions about some of the dramatization”.

“The nuclear deal is an opportunity that we should use to develop the country, improve the welfare of the nation, and create stability and security in the region”, Mr Rouhani said as he presented a draft budget for the next fiscal year to parliament. The #FreeJason hashtag used to spread news about how many days Rezaian had been in prison in Iran has been swapped out for a #JasonisFree hashtag Sunday. USA officials said Iran receives $400 million for the purchase and $1.3 billion in interest.

“After the nuclear deal was complete, the discussions between our governments escalated”, Obama said on Sunday. Publisher Frederick J. Ryan Jr. said more information would be available once he can confirm Rezaian has safely left Iran.