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WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama said on Friday it will take time for Iran to rejoin the global economy, as the country’s leadership and citizens express unease that a sanctions windfall has been slow to materialise.
“It will take time for Iran to reintegrate into the global economy, but Iran is already beginning to see the benefit of this deal,” Obama said at a meeting of world powers in Washington.
The international community lifted a raft of sanctions on Iran in exchange for the country curbing its controversial nuclear programme.
Earlier this month, Iran’s Supreme Leader ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Washington of failing to respect the terms of the agreement.
The United States has lifted sanctions “on paper,” he said, “but they are using roundabout paths to prevent the Islamic Republic from achieving its targets.”
“They have said they lifted the sanctions… but, in fact, they are working to prevent the lifting of sanctions from taking effect,” he said.
The limited polls that are conducted in Iran also show scepticism about the country’s economic situation following decades of sanctions.
A host of non-nuclear sanctions related to terrorism sponsorship, ballistic missile programmes and a crackdown on demonstrators remain in place.
According to a CISSM and IranPoll.com survey released on Thursday Iranians have a less favourable impression of the country’s economic situation now than they did before the deal came into effect in January.
While a majority of those polled back deeper economic engagement with the West, almost 70 per cent do not believe the United States will meet its promises under the agreement. -AFP
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