Iran rails against latest sanctions as nuclear deal lets it back in from the cold

Iran has condemned new sanctions imposed by the US over its ballistic missile programme. It said the curbs, imposed on 11 people and businesses just hours after a deal to get it to scale back its nuclear ambitions kicked in, had “no legal or moral legitimacy”. Foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said on Monday: “Iran’s missile programme has never been designed to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons. America sells tens of billions of dollars of weaponry each year to countries in the region. These weapons are used in war crimes against Palestinian, Lebanese and most recently Yemeni citizens.”

The US sanctions against Iran’s ballistic missile programme… have no legal or moral legitimacy.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari

The latest sanctions were delayed to ensure the deal over Iran’s nuclear capability could run its course. It lifted restrictions on Iranian trade, particularly oil, and four American-Iranians in Iran and seven Iranians in the US were also freed in a prisoner swap deal. As Iran was welcomed back into the international fold, president Hassan Rouhani, pictured above, announced he was to visit Italy and France next week. On his first day in Italy he will meet the country’s president, prime minister and business leaders, while on the second day he is scheduled to meet Pope Francis. Meanwhile, oil prices slumped to their lowest level since 2003 amid fears the lifting of the embargo on Iran would worsen a global glut of supplies.

Once again, we’re seeing what’s possible with international diplomacy

Barack Obama salutes the deal to curb Iran’s nuclear ambition

Politics iran