Iranian-American groups praise prisoner exchange

Obama also said that the US remains steadfast against Iran’s threats to Israel and others in the region, for example by enforcing new sanctions against Iran’s ballistic program.

“A lot of work has gone into getting us here, and implementation of this agreement will require a similar effort”, IAEA chief Amano said in a statement after the deal.

President Obama made the remarks after three American citizens released by Tehran had left Iran on board a chartered plane as part of a prisoner swap.

President Barack Obama leaves the podium after speaking about the release of Americans by Iran, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016, in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington.

The prisoner exchange between the United States and Iran won praise from some Iranian American organizations on Sunday, even as the US imposed new sanctions on those who supply Iran’s ballistic missile system.

KOMID is North Korea’s primary arms dealer and main exporter of goods and equipment related to ballistic missiles and conventional weapons, and has been sanctioned by the USA and the United Nations.

Together, the lifting of sanctions and the prisoner deal help to ease the hostility between Tehran and Washington that has shaped the Middle East since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. “We remain steadfast in opposing Iran’s destabilising behaviour elsewhere”, he said. Nuclear diplomacy with Iran has also created a better atmosphere to address other issues like the prisoner swap and last week’s release of U.S. Navy sailors from Iran, he said.

The Washington Post, editorial: “The announced implementation of the Iranian nuclear deal on Saturday came with an important bonus: Tehran’s release of four USA citizens it had imprisoned, including The Post’s Jason Rezaian”.

And as a result, the United States is imposing sanctions on individuals and companies working to advance Iran’s ballistic missile program. White House officials said negotiations took place over a 14-month period, majority held in Switzerland, and they were driven by concerns that the Americans potentially faced many years in prison.

In a reciprocal move, Obama said that six Iranian-Americans and one Iranian serving sentences or awaiting trial were being granted clemency. Iran will get more than $400 million, plus $1.3 billion in interest.

The U.S. lifted nuclear sanctions on Iran on Saturday in exchange for Tehran’s fulfillment of its commitments to curb its nuclear program under July’s landmark deal with world powers.

The Obama administration said it was prepared to test whether additional co-operation with Iran was possible, most notably in resolving the civil war in Syria.