Iranians jubilant as country wakes up to first day without sanctions

Iranians have greeted with jubilation the end to a decade of financial stringency under sanctions after western officials formally lifted a complex network of punitive measure as the landmark nuclear deal was implemented. President Hassan Rouhani hailed a “golden page” in the country’s history and a “turning point” in its economy as he delivered his budget before the Iranian parliament on Sunday. Later, at a press conference with the international media, he said: “Today is a historic and exceptional day in the political and economical history of people of Iran.”

The moderate cleric said he had fulfilled his main election promise that “centrifuges will turn and so will the wheels of people’s livelihoods”. “After 12 years of patience and resistence ... we have reached a turning point,” he said.

“From today, merchants and entrepreneurs in our country can benefit from normal ways of banking transactions to start their exports ... from today, our banks are reconnected to the world’s banking system ... from today, the restrictions on our oil exports are lifted ... from today, our companies can buy modern passenger planes, ensuring the safety of our people on air,” he said.

“Today is the day of victory. It’s now made clear that our great power is power of diplomacy, something that many in the region and the world did not want to believe,” he added. “A new chapter has begun in our relations with the countries in the region and the broader world.” Among the audience at the press conference were the wives of Iran’s nuclear scientists assassinated under mysterious circumstances in the course of past five years.

Sanctions were lifted on Saturday after confirmation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Tehran had complied with the nuclear deal. It came after an extraordinary day during which four dual nationals, including the Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, were released in a prisoner swap with the US. All nuclear-related sanctions imposed by the US, the EU and the UN were lifted, including an embargo on imports of Iranian oil, but other sanctions related to human rights and terrorism remained in place.