Page 2 - Aruba Today
P. 2
A2
UP FRONTMonday 18 January 2016
Iran Nuclear Deal:
Obama hails ‘historic progress through diplomacy’
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to journalists about his negotiations with Iran upon his said. the detention of 10 U.S. sail-
arrival from Vienna at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016. The Americans im- The Islamic Republic re- ors by Iran last week in the
prisoned by Iran began their journey home Sunday, their friends and family awaiting emotional leased the prisoners in Persian Gulf and U.S. plans
reunions, after delicate diplomatic negotiations that played out quietly in the shadows of interna- exchange for pardons or in late December to im-
tional nuclear talks. charges dropped against pose new sanctions on Iran
seven Iranians — six of for ballistic missile testing.
(Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP) whom hold dual U.S. citi- The sailors were released
zenship — serving time for after Kerry’s intervention
Continued from front former U.S. Marine Amir return home after medical or accused of sanctions with Iranian Foreign Minister
Hekmati and pastor Saeed evaluations. violations in the United Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Three of the American de- Abedini — arrived in Ger- The fourth, Nosratollah States. A fifth American, The sanctions were de-
tainees — Washington Post many en route to a U.S. Khosravi-Roodsari, opted student Matthew Trevithick, layed until Sunday, after
reporter Jason Rezaian, military hospital. They will to remain in Iran, officials who had been detained the U.S. detainees left Iran.
in Iran for roughly 40 days, U.S. and Iranian officials
was released separately. hashed out the prisoner
For all the celebrations, the exchange over 11 or 12
timing of the deal, finalized meetings over a process
hours after Saturday night’s that took a little longer
U.N. confirmation that Iran than a year, sprouting from
made good on pledges the even longer set of talks
to significantly back away that led to last July’s land-
from atomic bomb-making mark nuclear accord.
capacity, suggested that Just before Zarif an-
the Americans possibly nounced the final pact
were used as pawns by the with his EU counterpart
Iranian government to win Frederica Mogherini, Kerry
long-sought economic re- raised the issue of the de-
lief, as critics allege. tained Americans.
The International Atomic A photograph of Kerry
Energy Agency’s declara- speaking with Zarif and
tion unlocked some $100 Iranian President Hasan
billion in frozen Iranian as- Rouhani’s brother, Hossein
sets overseas, and poten- Fereydoun, captured the
tially even greater eco- moment.
nomic benefits through Things progressed signifi-
suspended oil, trade and cantly by November, when
financial sanctions by Iran was included for the
the U.S. and European first time in a meeting in
Union. Vienna on Syria’s civil war.
Critics of Obama’s Iran pol- Kerry and Zarif met there to
icy at home and abroad discuss the prisoners.
pounced on the details of “We actually shook hands
the prisoner exchange and thinking we had an agree-
the new economic op- ment,” Kerry said. “I thought
portunities being afforded it was done.”
Tehran while it still supports But the deal bogged down
Syrian President Bashar in Tehran and never went
Assad’s government and through.
the militant groups Hamas “So we went back to work,”
and Hezbollah. Kerry told reporters on his
“This deal is a problematic plane back to Washington
deal, and it reflects a pat- late Saturday.
tern we have seen in the He described the negotia-
Obama administration tions as difficult, especially
over and over again of ne- as the Iranians made what
gotiating with terrorists, and he said were unaccept-
making deals and trades able demands. Kerry said
that endanger U.S. safety the United States made
and security, clear it wouldn’t release an
” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a accused murderer or nar-
GOP presidential candi- cotics offender.
date, said on “Fox News “For a long time, this didn’t
Sunday.” move because of the peo-
Nevertheless, the back- ple they were asking for,”
to-back breakthroughs re- Kerry recalled. “We said,
flected painstaking diplo- ‘No, and no, and no.’”
macy by Kerry and admin- “And believe me, it’s hard
istration officials. when somebody says to
The efforts were beset by you, ‘Hey, you give us this
several hitches, including guy, we let them all out.q
