Iran moves assets, awaits benefits as sanctions are lifted

“I didn’t know who we were swapping for, but I knew that the ballistic missile sanctions were being held until such a time that we could work something out on the hostages”, Corker said.

Rouhani also pointed to the implementation of the nuclear agreement, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran and P5+1 reached in July, saying that the nuclear deal proved that “developing countries can defend their inalienable rights” through “dialog and negotiation”.

“I reiterate the need to be vigilant about the deceit and treachery of arrogant countries, especially the United States, in this [nuclear]issue and other issues”, Khamenei said.

“Iran’s nuclear programme has been substantially rolled back in return for the lifting of sanctions and the economic benefits that will bring”.

Kasich told Reuters that the United States should be working with US allies now to ensure that Iran sticks to the deal reining in its nuclear program, and if there are any violations the sanctions should be quickly reimposed.

U.S. president Barack Obama spearheaded the deal, which for many marks the foreign policy highlight of his tenure.

Rezaian, Christian pastor Saeed Abedini and former US Marine Amir Hekmati arrived at a US military base in Germany late on Sunday on their way home from Iran.

In practice, this means lifting the restrictions that now prevent non-US companies, entities and individuals from engaging in a wide array of transactions with Iran, on pain of sanctions against their activities in the United States.

“The convergence of an aggressive Iran in the region and ISIS are the two threats that we have to deal with and from day one we have to confront those ambitions”.

“India welcomes the announcement of lifting of nuclear- related sanctions against Iran”.

One more Iranian-American released under the same swap, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, was not aboard the aircraft. Iranian prosecutors had accused him of espionage, charges the Post had dismissed as “absurd”.

Presenting the draft budget for the next Iranian fiscal year, which begins in March, Rouhani told parliament the deal was a “turning point” for the economy of Iran, a major oil producer virtually shut out of global markets for the past five years.

The U.S. administration has long argued that the nuclear deal does not cover other elements of Iran’s allegedly bad behavior and that Washington will continue to press Iran to change its ways and punish it when necessary.

Despite lingering tensions between Iran and the United States, he said, “the United States can take steps to overcome this mistrust”, such as through implementation of the nuclear agreement.