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        Iranian President Looks Ahead as Crippling Nuclear Sanctions End

   by Pamela Dockins, Richard Green

   Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the Islamic republic has entered
   a "new chapter" in its history in a speech Sunday praising the end of
   international sanctions imposed over Iran's nuclear activities.

   The United States and other world powers lifted oil and economic
   sanctions Saturday after the International Atomic Energy Agency
   certified that Tehran complied with the terms of an agreement reached
   in Vienna last July after nearly two years of intense negotiations. The
   terms included shipping almost all of Iran's nuclear fuel out of the
   country, dismantling and removing its nuclear equipment, and providing
   international inspectors greater access to its nuclear facilities.

   In addition to ending the sanctions, Iran would have access to billions
   of dollars of assets in foreign banks that have been frozen for years.

   U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said "our friends and allies in the
   Middle East, and the entire world are safer because the threat of the
   nuclear weapon has been reduced."

   'Singnificant milestone'

   U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Saturday's announcement a
   "significant milestone."

   News of [1]"Implementation Day" was greeted with skepticism by Israeli
   Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the most vocal opponent of the deal
   in the international community. He warned that "Iran has not
   relinquished its ambition to obtain nuclear weapons, and continues to
   act to destabilize the Middle East and spread terror throughout the
   world."

   The end of sanctions was also greeted with scorn in the United States
   by many of President Barack Obama's Republican opponents, especially
   the party's 2016 presidential candidates.

   "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 recent campaign event.

   Rouhani dismissed the criticism during his speech to the Iranian
   parliament. He said everyone was happy "except Zionists, warmongers
   fueling discord in the Islamic world, and hardliners in the U.S."

   The deal is a triumph for Rouhani, considered a moderate cleric who was
   elected in 2013 on a pledge to reform his country's economy. But
   Tehran's hopes of an instant windfall by its return to the global oil
   markets will likely be tempered due to the massive glut of oil, which
   dropped to $30 per barrel this week for the first time in a decade.

   Some material for this report came from AP, AFP and Reuters.

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   [2]http://www.voanews.com/content/iranian-president-looks-ahead-as-crip
   pling-nuclear-sanctions-end/3149458.html

References

   1. http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2016/01/251336.htm
   2. http://www.voanews.com/content/iranian-president-looks-ahead-as-crippling-nuclear-sanctions-end/3149458.html