– ‘Safer world’ –
Iran has always denied wanting nuclear weapons, saying its activities are exclusively for peaceful purposes such as power generation.
“Today… the United States, our friends and allies in the Middle East, and the entire world are safer because the threat of the nuclear weapon has been reduced”, US Secretary of State John Kerry said in Vienna, while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said it was a “significant milestone”.
In what was hailed as a momentous diplomatic breakthrough, the Vienna agreement was nailed down in July after two years of rollercoaster negotiations following the moderate Rouhani’s election.
The highly complex deal drew a line under a standoff dating back to 2002 marked by failed diplomatic initiatives, ever-tighter sanctions, defiant nuclear expansion by Iran and threats of military action.
In addition it put Iran and the United States on the road to better relations some 35 years after the Islamic revolution that toppled the US-backed Shah, and at a particularly explosive time in the Middle East.
The five detainees to be freed by Iran included Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, a senior US official said Saturday. Four of the five were still in the country because “logistical steps” were still ongoing, an official said.
In exchange Washington said it had granted clemency to seven Iranians, six of whom were dual US-Iranian citizens, and dropped charges against 14 more.
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