United States senator was told of link between Iran sanctions, prisoners

“The Iranian missile program is a legitimate defense program”, Zarif, who is now in the Swiss city of Davos to attend the annual meeting of World Economic Forum (WEF), told AP on Wednesday.

The United States on Sunday imposed sanctions against 11 individuals and entities involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program as a result of Tehran’s firing of a medium-range ballistic missile.

“The United States was not able to stop Iran’s nuclear program through sanctions”, he said.

Other factors that could stall investment include residual sanctions, a shortage of project finance, and political risks ranging from protectionism to the potential collapse of the nuclear deal, lawyers and consultants say.

Corker was then contacted by President Barack Obama’s administration about the link to American prisoners and chose to hold off on more calls for sanctions, for a time. “They violate basic principles”, Zarif said. The lifting of sanctions and the prisoner deal considerably reduce the hostility between Tehran and Washington that has shaped the Middle East since Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979.

He put the blame for Iran’s need to ramp up its defense on the U.S.

“We have deals that are being worked out with Airbus all sorts of companies from nuclear technology companies, to irrigation, green energy… a whole range of them”, he said, without elaborating.

Zarif also urged Saudi Arabia to not choose conflict as tensions between the two countries reach boiling point.

“The United States sells tens of billions of dollars worth of military equipment to the region”, Zarif said.

United Nations sanctions have been lifted against Iran because it was found to be in compliance with the nuclear agreement it struck with six major western powers that blocks its ability to use nuclear technology to build a bomb.