US imposes fresh sanctions on Iran

Iran’s Foreign Ministry says the country will continue to enhance its missile capabilities in defiance of fresh U.S. sanctions over the Islamic Republic’s missile program.

He said that, for decades, differences between Iran and the USA meant their governments never spoke to one another, while Iran moved gradually closer to building a nuclear weapon.

After a stop in Switzerland Sunday, Rezaian and two others, Marine veteran Amir Hekmati and pastor Saeed Abedini, arrived in Germany, where they are undergoing medical checkups.

Kerry and a number of senior aides to President Obama, who was on holiday in Hawaii, held a series of telephone conferences and concluded that they can not risk losing an opportunity to free the Americans held by Iran. “We are going to remain vigilant about it”.

The U.S. Treasury Department said it had blacklisted the UAE-based Mabrooka Trading, and its owner Hossein Pournaghshband for helping Iran’s produce carbon fiber for the program.

In two days of fast-moving diplomacy at the weekend, five Americans were freed by Iran on Saturday and on Sunday the USA and Iranian presidents hailed the implementation of Tehran’s nuclear deal, which saw Washington and the European Union lift sanctions.

The announcement of the new sanctions came hours after three Americans detained by Iran – including the Washington Post’s Jason Rezaian – boarded a Swiss plane departing Tehran.

“The EU has confirmed that the legal framework providing for the lifting of its nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions is effective”.

Kerry said Sunday that Iran had agreed to deepen coordination in the search.

“Iran is the greatest state sponsor of terror in the world”, Pletka said.

The United States unfroze about $100bn of Iranian assets held overseas and settled a long-running global dispute that will see Iran get $1.7bn directly from Washington. “We don’t make that judgment”.

“Today is a good day”, Obama said in a White House address to the nation after United States prisoners were released from Tehran and key aspects of a nuclear deal were implemented.

Republicans claimed that even tougher sanctions and more bellicose threats would force Iran to end its nuclear ambitions.

The nuclear talks have brought a sense of normalcy to relations with the US and Iran, with top officials from each country in somewhat regular communication.

Describing the accord a unique example in the history of diplomacy, Rouhani said Iran was committed not to pursue nuclear weapons.

In its report, IAEA said Iran has shipped 98 per cent of its fuel to Russian Federation and dismantled more than 12,000 centrifuges so that they could not enrich uranium any further.