| Nuclear sanctions lifted as Iran, U.S. agree on prisoner swap Posted: 16 Jan 2016 03:48 PM PST  By Lesley Wroughton and Sam Wilkin VIENNA/DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran emerged from years of economic isolation on Saturday when world powers began to lift crippling sanctions against the Islamic Republic in return for Tehran complying with a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions. In a dramatic move scheduled to coincide with the scrapping of the sanctions, Tehran also announced the release of five Americans including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian as part of a prisoner swap with the United States. Together, the lifting of sanctions and the prisoner deal considerably reduce the hostility between Tehran and Washington that has shaped the Middle East since Iran's Islamic Revolution of 1979.
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| Iran frees Jason Rezaian, three other dual-American citizens Posted: 16 Jan 2016 01:29 PM PST  Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post's Tehran correspondent, was among four Iranian-Americans freed Saturday in a prisoner swap, just hours before a nuclear deal with world powers was finally sealed. Iranian state television and the judiciary reported that the four were released for seven Iranians in US custody, with an official in Washington confirming the exchange. As well as Rezaian, Iran agreed to free Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor from Idaho, Amir Hekmati, a former US Marine, and a fourth man named Nosratollah Khosravi.
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| Burkina Faso hotel seizure ends; 4 jihadis, 28 others dead Posted: 16 Jan 2016 02:35 PM PST  At last 23 people were killed when militants seized a luxury hotel, officials said.
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| Top U.S., Iranian diplomats focus on clinching nuclear deal Posted: 16 Jan 2016 04:31 PM PST  VIENNA (AP) — The U.N. nuclear agency certified Saturday that Iran has met all of its commitments under last summer's landmark nuclear deal, crowning years of U.S.-led efforts to crimp Iran's ability to make atomic weapons. For Iran, the move lifts Western economic sanctions that have been in place for years, unlocking access to $100 billion in frozen assets and unleashing new opportunities for its battered economy.
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| Cruz recalls Trump's 'New York values' interview Posted: |
