America Delayed “Missile Sanctions” to Guarantee the Return of Prisoners

The Iran deal is a testament to the power of diplomacy.

In Washington, President Barack Obama hailed the American prisoners’ release and the implementation of the nuclear accord as victories for “smart” diplomacy, declaring that “this is a good day”.

Asked about conservative voices within Iran, he said: “Iran is not a monolith, I think Americans would recognize that… just like the United States is not”. Rouhani said Iran had a right to continue developing its missiles, since they are not capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

German automaker Daimler said its heavy goods vehicles unit, Daimler Trucks, planned a swift return to the Iranian market and had signed letters of intent with local partners. A day later Iranian President Hassan Rouhani threatened that Tehran would accelerate the development of its arsenal, and a day after that Obama backed down and delayed the new sanctions. In addition, and as part of the JCPOA commitments, OFAC made adjustments to various denied party lists, including the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, the Foreign Sanction Evaders List, and the Non-SDN Iran Sanctions List. “These things are a reminder of what we can achieve when we lead with strength and with wisdom, with courage and resolve and patience”.

Abbas Akhondi, the Iranian transport minister, said his country had reached a deal with the European consortium Airbus to buy 114 passenger planes once the sanctions are lifted.

Certification by the International Atomic Energy Agency will allow Iran to immediately recoup some $100 billion in assets frozen overseas and see huge benefits from new oil, trade and financial opportunities that will come after Western sanctions against Iran are lifted.

Speaking to parliament yesterday, Rouhani, a pragmatic cleric elected in 2013 on promises to end Iran’s years of sanctions and isolation, said he looked forward to an economic future less dependent on oil exports.

“The United States has never been afraid to pursue diplomacy with our adversaries”, he said, citing the examples of past presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan.

Last week was Iran week – from the tensions over the detention of 10 USA sailors, to the prisoner/hostage swap to the implementation of the nuclear agreement.

Senator Ted Cruz and Donald Trump also voiced their displeasure in the way that the prisoner swap took place.

That hard-line pushback also helps explain paradoxes like the fact that officials, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, tout the deal’s benefits on Twitter even as Iranian censors block the site and other social media services at home.

Khamenei, the country’s top decision maker, has praised Iran’s negotiators while continuing to express deep mistrust of the United States.

At a time when civil wars, failed states, and violent extremists have destabilized most of the Middle East, cooperation between Iran – one of the most stable countries there – and the United States is essential for peace in that traumatized region of the world.

Rezaian is a dual Iran-U.S. citizen convicted of espionage by Iran in a closed-door trial in 2015.