International sanctions against Iran have been lifted following news from the UN nuclear watchdog that the Islamic Republic has complied with its nuclear promises.
The BBC reports:
The EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, announced the lifting of sanctions in accordance with the deal “as Iran has fulfilled its commitment”.
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The international nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, said its inspectors had verified that Iran had taken the required steps.
A deal between Iran and world powers was agreed last July.
The IAEA’s Director General Yukiya Amano said it was “an important day for the international community”.
Lifting the international sanctions on Iran will unfreeze billions of dollars of assets and allow Iranian oil to be sold internationally.
As part of the deal, Iran had to drastically reduce its number of centrifuges and dismantle a heavy-water reactor near the town of Arak, both of which could be used in creating nuclear weapons.
Iran has always maintained its programme is peaceful, but opponents of the deal – such as some US Republicans – say it does not do enough to ensure the country cannot develop a nuclear bomb.
The US Secretary of State John Kerry has ordered that US nuclear-related economic sanctions against Iran be lifted.
Niamh Harris
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