Iran blasts US sanctions on missile programme
MOSCOW SAYS IT PLANS TO SELL MILITARY HELICOPTERS TO TEHRAN
The head of the United Nations atomic watchdog, Yukiya Amano, arrived in Tehran yesterday for talks with President Hassan Rouhani, two days after Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers went into force.
The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed late on Saturday that Tehran had complied with its obligations under last summer’s accord, leading the United States and the European Union to lift sanctions imposed over Iran’s disputed nuclear programme that crippled its economy for a decade.
The visit came as Iran denounced “illegitimate” new sanctions by the US on its ballistic missile programme.
On Sunday, President Barack Obama said the nuclear accord with Iran vindicates his emphasis on tough diplomacy over military confrontation, even as some conflicts between the US and the Islamic Republic remain unresolved.
“This is a good day,” Obama said on Sunday from the Cabinet Room at the White House. “Because once again we’re seeing what’s possible with strong American diplomacy.”
The deal - and the release of five Americans held in Iran - doesn’t fully mend fences between Washington and Tehran.
On Sunday, the US levied new sanctions on 11 companies and individuals for their ties to Iran’s ballistic missile programme. And other penalties imposed unilaterally by the US, related to Iran’s missile development and support for terrorist groups, remain in place.
Milestone
Obama spoke as a plane from Tehran, carrying a group of Iranian-Americans who had been held as prisoners, headed for Geneva.
The nuclear accord and the prisoner swap is a milestone for Obama, who has argued that his approach succeeded in keeping the US out of a potential military conflict in the Middle East.
The nuclear deal capped more than two years of wrangling between Iran and the US, China, Russia, Germany, France and the UK.
Over multiple
presidential administrations and through the Cold War, “the United States has never been afraid to pursue diplomacy with our adversaries,” Obama said.
Obama said the US and its international partners will be “steadfast” in confronting Iran over actions to destabilise the region, as well as threats to Israel, which has been an outspoken opponent of the deal.
In Moscow, Russian Helicopters said that it hopes to deliver military helicopters to Iran now that sanctions have been lifted on the Islamic Republic, TASS news agency reported yesterday, citing the Russian firm.
“The lifting of sanctions gives an opportunity to provide the Iranian side new helicopters,” the company said.
Oman’s foreign minister meanwhile said that the lifting of sanctions on Iran will have a positive impact on the region.
“The ghost of wars has disappeared and will hopefully disappear forever,” Yousuf Bin Alawi said on Sunday.
International and regional parties, will, over time, narrow their differences with Iran, he added.