Iran will continue to upgrade missile might: Foreign ministry

On Sunday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that it was imposing sanctions on 11 people and companies involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program. Ansari referred to the new penalties as illegitimate, saying his country “responds with determination to such propaganda by accelerating its legal ballistic missile program and boosting defense capabilities”.

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

“We could advance by engaging directly with the Iranian government”, Obama said in a statement from the White House.

Iran tested ballistic missiles on October 10 and November 21, which were in violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution that was adopted in 2010 that bans Iran from undertaking “any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using ballistic missile technology”.

“Even as we implement the nuclear deal and welcome our Americans home, we recognize that there remain profound differences between the United States and Iran”.

Many local Iranian-Americans who gathered in Westwood said they were encouraged by the deal.

Republican candidates for the USA presidency have criticized the deal, and some Iranian officials fear Washington could walk away from the deal when President Barack Obama leaves office in early 2017.

The seven Iranians released from American prison were either convicted or accused of purposely violating USA sanctions against Tehran.

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

During the meeting, Salehi said he has called on the IAEA to increase its bilateral technical cooperation with Iran to compensate for years of opportunities lost due to the fabricated nuclear case against Iran.

President Hassan Rouhani hailed on Sunday a nuclear deal with world powers as a “golden page” in Iran’s history, and looked forward to an economic future less dependent on oil as the country emerges from years of sanctions and isolation.