EU, U.S. announce sanction lift on Iran amid IAEA verification

VIENNA/WASHINGTON. KAZINFORM - The European Union (EU) and the United States have announced their decision to lift nuclear-related sanctions on Iran after the UN nuclear watchdog confirmed Tehran's commitments to the July deal.

"Today, I released a report confirming that Iran has completed the necessary preparatory steps to start the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Yukiya Amano said in a statement on Saturday.
Iran also promises more transparency of its nuclear program, letting the UN nuclear inspectors be able to monitor Tehran's atomic plan.
The EU lifted its economic sanctions against Iran after the UN nuclear watchdog's announcement.
"As Iran has fulfilled its commitments, today, multilateral and national economic and financial sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program are lifted," said EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Mogherini Saturday jointly announced the implementation day of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the historic nuclear deal reached last July.
Mogherini said the implementation day marked the key fact that diplomacy could resolve tough issue.
Shortly after the IAEA announcement, U.S. President Barack Obama also signed an executive order to lift sanctions on Iran related to its nuclear program, said the White House.
"Iran's implementation of the nuclear-related measures ..., as verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency, marks a fundamental shift in circumstances with respect to Iran's nuclear program," Obama said in the executive order.
Source: Xinhua