TABRIZ, Iran – Delighted Iranians welcomed a landmark nuclear deal last summer they hoped would open a new chapter for their country.
Now they’re celebrating across the country the end of economic sanctions that followed the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Jan. 17 finding that Iran had met the terms of the deal.
Parliamentary elections this week appear to show popular support for the pact negotiated by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
“People said in a clear voice to the world: ‘We want moderation, not extremism,’” Rouhani declared at a car industry conference last week.
“They said in a loud voice: ‘We want interaction with the world, not confrontation.’ And they said in a clear voice: ‘We want to resolve our problems with the world through logic and reasoning and at the negotiating table.’”
Because sanctions were lifted, Iran has obtained access to more than $100 billion in frozen assets held overseas and embargoes on medicine have come to a halt.Iranians, who have followed updates through the media, are eager to find out what other positive effects will arise over time.
Iranians are ready to stand beside their government and devote themselves toward the peaceful days of future.
In the long term, the deal ending Iran’s economic isolation is likely to have a significant impact on both Iran’s economy and trade throughout the region.
The deal, which followed years of negotiations, required the government in Tehran to follow a transparent policy in its nuclear program in exchange for lifting the international sanctions that caused major social and economic problems in the country.
Once the atomic watchdog agency declared that Iran had met its obligations, the United States, European Union and United Nations lifted sanctions that had been in place for years in a bid to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
The European Union’s foreign affairs representative, Frederica Mogherini, told the press in Vienna that “this achievement clearly demonstrates that with political will, perseverance, and through multilateral diplomacy. We can solve the most difficult issues and find practical solutions that are effectively implemented.”
“I thank God for this blessing & bow to the greatness of the patient nation of Iran,” President Hassan Rouhani said on his official Twitter account.
John Kerry, the U.S. secretary of state, also welcomed the end of sanctions after Iran changed its nuclear program.
Kerry told the press the United States and its “friends and allies in the Middle East, and the entire world are safer because the threat of the nuclear weapon has been reduced.”
Frida Zeinali is a Junior Reporter for Youth Journalism International.
