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       Iran Sanctions Lifted as Nuclear Deal Reaches 'Implementation Day'

   by VOA News

   The International Atomic Energy Agency has certified that Iran has met
   the provisions of the nuclear deal crafted by world powers, a move that
   cleared the way for Tehran to get relief from crippling international
   nuclear-related sanctions.

   EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Federica Mogherini announced
   that world powers were removing nuclear-related sanctions on Iran in a
   joint appearance in Vienna, on Saturday, with Iranian Foreign Minister
   Mohammed Javad Zarif.

   In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S.
   sanctions termination requirements of Iran's landmark nuclear agreement
   are now in effect. The White House simultaneously issued an executive
   order putting those measures in place.

   Mogherini said the "historic deal" was both "fair and strong" and that
   its "proper implementation" would be a "key contribution to regional
   and international peace."

   US-Iran prisoner swap

   Word of implementation has come on the same day that Iran and the U.S.
   swapped prisoners. The five Americans freed included Washington Post
   correspondent Jason Rezaian and Amir Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine.

   Kerry has said that he had been raising the status of detained
   Americans in all of his nuclear-related talks with Zarif.

   Conclusion of lengthy process

   The implementation of the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive
   Plan of Action, is the culmination of nearly two years of intense
   negotiations that resulted in a July 2015 consensus on the plan.

   The negotiations have involved the U.S. and the other permanent members
   of the U.N. Security Council, Germany and the European Union.

   As a result of implementation, Iran now has access to assets that have
   been frozen in foreign banks. The assets are estimated to be valued at
   upwards of $50 billion dollars. Tehran is also free to expand trade
   with other countries.

   Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had campaigned on a pledge to reform
   his country's economy. Freedom from crippling sanctions has been a key
   component of his pledge.

   US impact of implementation limited

   But the impact of Iran's sanctions relief will be limited in the United
   States, said Kelsey Davenport, the director of nonproliferation policy
   at the Arms Control Association.

   "A number of sanctions on human rights, on terrorism will remain in
   place that will make it very difficult for companies to navigate," she
   said.

   In a Friday briefing, an administration official said the biggest
   impact for U.S. businesses would be in three categories.

   The official said one category involved food and other products, such
   as importing pistachios from Iran as well as Iranian carpets.

   The second category would be more freedom for Iran to purchase civilian
   aviation equipment from the United States.

   Thirdly, the official said, foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies will
   have more freedom to engage with Iran, as long as they abided by other
   U.S. government requirements.

   Countries that have engaged in extensive trade with Iran in the past
   are likely to see the most benefits from Iran's sanctions relief, said
   Atlantic Council Iran initiative director Barbara Slavin, who spoke via
   SKYPE.

   "Asian countries, where Iran already has a lot of assets in their
   banks, money that has been frozen, oil revenues that have been frozen,"
   said Slavin.

   She also said some European countries and Russia could benefit.

   "The Russians will try to sell Iran some more nuclear power plants,"
   said Slavin.

   Flashpoints remain with Iran

   Although implementation will open the door to some trade between the
   U.S. and Iran, it will not result in the U.S. overlooking other areas
   of concern about Tehran, said State Department spokesman Mark Toner.

   "None of us have rose-colored glasses on," said Toner. "None of us
   believe that suddenly once we reach Implementation Day that a whole new
   world is going to open up and we are suddenly going to cooperate with
   Iran," he said.

   Those areas of concern include Iran's recent ballistic missile tests
   and its firing of rockets near a U.S. military ship, in December.

   There are also U.S. concerns about Iran's treatment of 10 U.S. sailors
   who were briefly detained after they entered Iranian waters.

   Iran's release of a video showing the detained sailors with their hands
   over their heads drew U.S. criticism from politicians, including
   Republican presidential candidates, many of whom cited the incident in
   a GOP presidential debate Thursday.

   Deal still opposed by many

   The deal was widely panned by Republicans and some Democrats, and the
   agreement has been brought up repeatedly on the campaign trail.

   "It seems to be an indication of where we are going. That Iran deal is
   the dumbest deal I think I've ever seen," said Republican presidential
   candidate Donald Trump at a campaign event.

   Some U.S. presidential candidates have vowed to un-do U.S.
   participation in the agreement, if elected - a move that Davenport said
   could prove to be difficult, if the first year of compliance goes well.

   "If there are no violations and the deal is seen to be working - to be
   preventing Iran from moving toward a nuclear weapon - then, I think it
   will be much more difficult for a president to justify moving out of
   the deal," she said.

   There is also concern about the deal on Capitol Hill. The U.S. House of
   Representatives voted on a measure, on Wednesday that would have
   prevented President Barack Obama from lifting some Iran-related
   sanctions. However, lawmakers then revoked their vote and scheduled
   another vote on the provision in late January.

   Any U.S. move to unilaterally undercut the agreement would be viewed
   poorly by the other world powers involved in the agreement, said
   Davenport.

   "If the U.S. sabotaged the deal unilaterally, I think we would be out
   on a limb by ourselves," she said.

   Monitoring of Iran's compliance ongoing

   In a bid to address U.S. and international concerns about the
   agreement, Secretary of State John Kerry noted the U.N. nuclear
   watchdog and world powers would continue to monitor Iran's compliance.

   At a Washington forum earlier in the week, Kerry said, "we will ensure
   that the specter of a nuclear-armed Iran is removed as a threat to
   Middle East security and global peace."

   Slavin said Tehran's compliance, in the long run, would depend on its
   "threat perceptions."

   "It will depend on whether there is proliferation around them, whether
   the Saudis try to get nuclear weapons," she said.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/iran-nuclear-deal-moving-forward/3149
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/iran-nuclear-deal-moving-forward/3149030.html