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| Iranians jubilant as country wakes up to first day without sanctions | Iranians jubilant as country wakes up to first day without sanctions |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Iranians have greeted with jubilation the end to a decade of financial stringency under sanctions after western officials formally lifted a complex network of punitive measure as the landmark nuclear deal was implemented. | Iranians have greeted with jubilation the end to a decade of financial stringency under sanctions after western officials formally lifted a complex network of punitive measure as the landmark nuclear deal was implemented. |
| Related: Iran celebrates lifting of sanctions but many caveats remain | Related: Iran celebrates lifting of sanctions but many caveats remain |
| President Hassan Rouhani hailed a “golden page” in the country’s history and a “turning point” in its economy as he delivered his budget before the Iranian parliament on Sunday, promising internal development and more stability in the region. | President Hassan Rouhani hailed a “golden page” in the country’s history and a “turning point” in its economy as he delivered his budget before the Iranian parliament on Sunday, promising internal development and more stability in the region. |
| “We should use this opportunity for the country’s growth and development and people’s welfare, as well as the security and stability of the region,” Rouhani told Iranian parliamentarians. “This would not possible unless we all unite with each other.” | “We should use this opportunity for the country’s growth and development and people’s welfare, as well as the security and stability of the region,” Rouhani told Iranian parliamentarians. “This would not possible unless we all unite with each other.” |
| “Everybody is happy about the nuclear deal, except for Zionists, those who are seeking division in the Muslim world, and a small extremist group in US”, he added, referring to the Israeli government and Republicans in the US Congress who have opposed to the nuclear accord signed last July. | “Everybody is happy about the nuclear deal, except for Zionists, those who are seeking division in the Muslim world, and a small extremist group in US”, he added, referring to the Israeli government and Republicans in the US Congress who have opposed to the nuclear accord signed last July. |
| Sanctions were lifted on Saturday after confirmation from the International Atomic Energy Agency that Tehran had complied with the nuclear deal. It came after an extraordinary day during which four dual nationals, including the Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, were released in a prisoner swap with the US. All nuclear-related sanctions imposed by the US, the EU and the UN were lifted, including an embargo on imports of Iranian oil, but other sanctions related to human rights and terrorism remained in place. | |
| Iranians reacted by congratulating each other on social networks such as Facebook and Telegram and the Tehran stock exchange performed strongly. The end to sanctions dominated Sunday’s front pages in Tehran. “Sanctions are gone,” proclaimed the headline of the reformist Aftab-e-Yazd. “The morning without sanctions,” said Etemaad, while the front-page of the state-run Iran newspaper read: “Sanctions dissolved.” | Iranians reacted by congratulating each other on social networks such as Facebook and Telegram and the Tehran stock exchange performed strongly. The end to sanctions dominated Sunday’s front pages in Tehran. “Sanctions are gone,” proclaimed the headline of the reformist Aftab-e-Yazd. “The morning without sanctions,” said Etemaad, while the front-page of the state-run Iran newspaper read: “Sanctions dissolved.” |
| The declaration of the “implementation day” was welcomed internationally, including by the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, and the UK foreign secretary, Philip Hammond. | |
| Related: Obama administration defends Iran deals on prisoners and sanctions | |
| In the US, Hillary Clinton welcomed the release of American prisoners from Iran and said the world was a safer place as the result of the nuclear agreement, but urged further sanctions to be imposed on Tehran because of its ballistic missile programme. | |
| “I am greatly relieved by the safe return of American prisoners from Iran,” the Democrat presidential frontrunner said in a statement late on Saturday. “These prisoners were held unjustly by a regime that continues to threaten the peace and security of the Middle East ... Another American, Bob Levinson, still isn’t home with his family.” The fate of Levinson, a former FBI agent who went missing in Iran, remains unclear. | |
| Rezaian was reported by the semi-official Tasnim news agency to have departed the country alongside his wife, Yeganeh Salehi, but this was not independently verified. The four Iranian-Americans were released in exchange for the freedom of seven Iranians held in the US on charges of violating sanctions regulations, including Nima Golestaneh, who has been identified as an Iranian hacker. The names of 14 other Iranians were also removed from Interpol’s red notice. | |
| Clinton stated Iran had dismantled centrifuges, disabled a reactor and shipped out almost all of its enriched uranium, which she said were important steps “that make the United States, our allies, and the entire world safer”. But she added: “Iran is still violating UN security council resolutions with its ballistic missile programme, which should be met with new sanctions designations and firm resolve.” | |
| Shane Bauer, a US hiker who was jailed in Iran in 2009 along with two other Americans after crossing into the country and held for two years, criticised Clinton for calling for more sanctions at the time Iran was rejoicing sanctions relief: | |
| When I was in prison in Iran, whenever I heard Hillary's voice, my heart would sink. All she ever does with Iran is inflame tensions. | |
| Seriously, why would Hillary call for more sanctions *now*? As far as we know, 4 of the Americans are still in Iran. Totally irresponsible. | |
| In Tehran, many people stayed up late on Saturday to hear about the confirmation of sanctions removal. “Last night, the people of the Islamic [Republic] of Iran went to sleep with a peaceful mind to wake up for the horizon of a day without sanctions,” Etemaad’s editor, Javad Daliri, wrote in an editorial column. “Yes, at 1am, the wall of sanctions finally collapsed.” | |
| Others, including Fereydoun Majlesi of the Vaghaye-Etefaghieh, struck a cautious note, saying the situation would not improve overnight. “This is a huge development but not a miracle,” he wrote. “We shouldn’t have over-expectations.” | Others, including Fereydoun Majlesi of the Vaghaye-Etefaghieh, struck a cautious note, saying the situation would not improve overnight. “This is a huge development but not a miracle,” he wrote. “We shouldn’t have over-expectations.” |
| Many people shared their thoughts online. Citing years of financial difficulties due to sanctions, a 30-year-old said on Facebook: “Maybe dollar will get cheaper, maybe petrol too, but I won’t become 25-year-old again. The real hero is me, who has paid the cost with my youthhood.” | |
| As sanctions are lifted, Iran is reconnected to the global economy, with banks re-establishing connections with the European financial system via Swift, which facilitates international transactions. Western firms are now free to pursue business opportunities with Iran but US companies are still hampered by other sanctions that are still enforced. | |
| Related: Saudi Arabia and Iran need each other | |
| More than $30bn (£21bn) of Iran’s estimated $100bn in frozen assets were expected to be made available to Tehran immediately and Iran is due to increase its crude exports by more than 500,000 barrels per day, which will have an impact on a global oil market already in turmoil because of oversupply. It was announced yesterday that Iran was buying as many as 114 new passenger planes from Airbus, renewing its ageing fleet in the near future. | |
| In a separate statement issued earlier, Rouhani described the removal of sanctions as a “glorious victory”. | In a separate statement issued earlier, Rouhani described the removal of sanctions as a “glorious victory”. |
| “Today, the official announcement of the implementation of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action means that the Iranian nuclear program is ‘ever secured’, the tyrannical resolutions against the Iranian nation are cancelled, the sanctions are removed, Iran’s nuclear rights has been accepted by all and the Iranian economy became a global one,” he said in the statement, published on the president’s official website. | |
| “The victory in the nuclear negotiation is not a factional victory, but for all Iranians and the implementation of the JCPOA [nuclear deal] is not against any domestic faction or political group,” he said, addressing the Iranian people. “Now is the time to build and flourish. You people have passed behind the sanctions with patience, dignity and pride.” | “The victory in the nuclear negotiation is not a factional victory, but for all Iranians and the implementation of the JCPOA [nuclear deal] is not against any domestic faction or political group,” he said, addressing the Iranian people. “Now is the time to build and flourish. You people have passed behind the sanctions with patience, dignity and pride.” |