Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday hailed a “glorious victory” after global sanctions on the Islamic republic were lifted following confirmations from the United Nations that Tehran had complied with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.
The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Iran had adhered to the terms of a deal signed in Vienna in July last year, in which it had agreed to restrain its atomic programme, reported AFP. The IAEA said its “inspectors on the ground verified that Iran has carried out all measures” stipulated under the agreement.
The deal signed in Vienna last year directed Iran to slash its uranium centrifuges by two-thirds and remove the core of the Arak reactor that gave it the potential to have weapons-grade plutonium. If Iran violates the agreement in the next decade, the UN will re-impose sanctions, some of which have been in place since 1995.
The sanctions imposed by six countries – the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, China, Russia and France – had restricted Iran’s oil exports and business with the world market. However, the Islamic republic always maintained that its nuclear activities were only meant for peaceful purposes such as power generation.
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