Canada concerned over Iran missile test

Obama also credited the improved relations between the two countries with the release of USA sailors who strayed into Iranian waters in “less than 24 hours”.

Four Americans held by Iran: Jason Rezaian, Amir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini, and Nosratollah Khosrawi Roudsari, were released over the weekend, Tehran confirmed.

Obama also said that the USA remains steadfast against Iran’s threats to Israel and others in the region, for example by enforcing new sanctions against Iran’s ballistic program.

The BBC reports on Iran’s reactions to new sanctions against its ballistic missile programme and breaks down the sanctions that are now lifted as part of the nuclear deal.

US Sailors detained in Iran.

In exchange for the release of five USA prisoners in Iran, the United States dropped charges against seven Iranians, accused of violating trade sanctions and canceled warrants against 14 others, and paid almost $2 billion to settle a financial dispute.

In a joint statement, the European Union and Iran said numerous nuclear-related U.S., EU and United Nations sanctions were immediately coming off Iran after it had completed the steps needed to implement last July’s deal.

“We’re not going to waver in the defense of our security or that of our allies and partners”, Obama said yesterday while announcing sanctions against 11 individuals and entities as a result of an Iranian ballistic missile launch in October.

The lifting of sanctions allows Iran to rejoin the global economy and begin selling its massive oil reserves in worldwide markets, which could drive the price to as low as US$10 a barrel within months.

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Sunday that the U.S. will impose further sanctions if Tehran continues missile program implementation. We are committed to continuing our work in an impartial, factual and non-political way.

“It actually pushed a lot of my friends away from the country just because of this”, said Pedram Farashbandi, who left Iran in 2005.

He went on to insist that “Iran will not get its hands on a nuclear bomb”.

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.