>> all sides will want to he sure that does not happen. al jazeera, vienna.

the american journalists has arrived in geneva a day after freed photographs an iranian prison. the reporters was convicted last year on spying charges. he was released along with four other iranian americans as part of a prisoner swap with the u.s. they are due home in a couple of hours. the united states freed seven iranians accused or convicted of violating anxious on iran. let's cross over to al jazeera's live from washington. that speech made by president rouhani, he was very much speaking to a domestic audience as well as sending a message total international audience, as well. >> absolutely. and sound be very upbeat tone, calling the deal a victory for iran and a victory for all involved in the negotiations, to the domestic audience when he addressed the iranian people, he

talked the benefits of this deal and the fact that sanctions would be lifted, although some in the united states will still remain, the sergeant majority of international sanctions will be lifted, and the pressure on the economy relieved, also businesses will be able to take part in the banking system and iran able to sell oil. a very celebratory mood in iran and talking about this being a victory for deposition exhibit, language we've heard coming from the united states and e.u., all hailing this deal as a way forward for these countries who had been so hostile to each other, that this could pave the way for further cooperation moving forward. >> what has the u.s. said on the second story we are reporting out of iran, the american journalist gastreas has been freed along with four our runners?

--iranians. >> we are hearing from the families, saying this is a welcome day, welcome news for the people who have been waiting for their loved once to return. we now have a statement from jason rezaian's family. he was washington post bureau chief in tehran when he was taken into custody almost a year and a half ago, and the convicted of charges related to espionage that have been widely criticized and dismissed. basically the washington post has said he's doing his job

there. he was subjected according to the family solitary confinement, there were concerns about his medical condition presiden. the family say it has brought relief and. >> i to to your family, this might mayor coming to the end, thanking the obama administration, congress, secretary kerry and all of the organizations, including many organizations representing journalists that have fought for jason rezaian's release. among those released, a pastor from idaho and a former u.s. marine. they are also reportedly on their way home in exchange for seven u.s. prisoners being released, six of those were dual u.s. iranian nationals, all convicted of charges relating to violating the sanctions. they have now been released as part of that deal, as well. we're getting some new details

about the negotiations that went on to make this deal, secretary of state john kerry telling reporters there were 11 and 12 meetings to hammer out the deal, took a lot of back and forth. there were some rough steps along the way, but saying he was pleased they were able to come up with a deal to free the four americans, and they are actually duel american iranian nationals, but that this was a good deal for the americans and the iranians. >> kristin, thank you for reporting from washington. >> hundreds of syrian civilians have been kidnapped and there are fears many may have been killed following a major isil assault. syrian state television is calling the latest attack a massacre, as isil forces in the east of the country push towards the city. andrew simmons has been monitoring developments from istanbul. >> the government is saying that there was a massacre of at least

300 civilians. it makes no mention of anybody taken hostage, where as the flhr is saying that there was a major operation by isil and isil took 400 people, civilians and families are regime forces officers and soldiers, and they have been taken -- kidnapped and taken west towards isil firmly held areas. >> 17 isil fighters have been killed in cam bolt near rimadi as iraqi forces try to push them out of the region. government coalition because by war planes are involved in the assault. 12 soldiers from international security forces were killed. its forces advancing where isil is holding out just east of rimadi. iraqi officials say order is

being restored in the city, the scene of recent sectarian violence. we are live in baghdad. how much order is being restored? >> after nearly a week of rising sectarian tensions, officials saying things have calmed down substantially in the last 24 hours. they say schools have reopened and more shops will be reopening in the days to come. despite the fact that officials are saying things have gotten better on the ground there, we've also heard from several iraqi politicians today calling on the prime here to do more to make sure that perpetrators are violence actually get dealt with appropriately. let's take a listen to what the speaker of parliament here had to say at a press conference later today. >> there are criminals that the government is aware of and those

who say we do not know who they are, i tell them we do and their names are here. their continued assassinations and kidnapping of people is a threat to our society. >> what's interesting about that so you didn't bite is the fact that the speaker actually didn't name the perpetrators he's talking about. he's speaking about shia militias. ever since isil was pushed out in the past year, it's widely known that it's essentially shia militias in charge of security there and the concern right now by many in iraq is that the government here needs to try to get the upper hand, needs to try to make sure that these militias aren't operating withoutor sight. the fact he doesn't say the worth shia militias shows you about the concern of the possibility of more rising sectarian violence in the days to come. >> what is happening in rimadi? we understand that combat still

taking place there. >> it's a very fluid situation, still very volatile. yesterday, you had iraqi security forces claiming that they were essential rolling into the eastern part of the city, a part of the city which was described by the government here as being the last stronghold of isil fighters in rimadi. the battle to take control completely over rimadi has been waged for several weeks. the center of town has been retaken by iraqi security forces, now they're trying to get this past bastion where they are hiding out. the government was claiming that they had the uphand, she will shelling the area, they expect to retake it within hours or days. it's unclear whether that time line will be adhered to. we know in the past few hours, there was a roadside bomb with 13 civilians killed, seven women

and 313. it's a tough situation. the government are trying to carry people trapped there to safety. it's unclear when or if the iraqi government will be able to retake this neighborhood. >> all right, reporting from baghdad, thank you. a suicide bomber killed 13 people and injured 14 others at the home of a prominent tribal leader in the afghan city of jalalabad. we have the latest from the afghan capital, kabul. >> the target of the attack was a tribal leader. he had been holding a gathering to celebrate the release of his son from taliban captivity. the suicide bomber walked in as a visitor, then detonated his charge, killing and wounding many people. ambulances rushed to the scene. >> so far, we've received 13 people in today's attack and 14 others wounded. three among those injured are critical, but the doctors areette treating them.

>> he survived the attack, but his son did not. the local leader is from a prominent tribe in eastern afghanistan. he has a force fighting islamic state of iraq and the levant. he and other tribal leaders called for what they called a national uprising against isil. jalalabad is the provincial capital of the province in northeast afghanistan, bordering pakistan. isil has made gains there. last week, its followers carried out an attack near the pakistani consulate in which seven members of the security forces were killed. the security situation is volatile. isil is fighting the taliban and both groups are fighting the kabul government separately. sunday's attack is another reminder that the war could be entering a new phase. al jazeera, kabul. >> the founder of afghanistan's center for research and policies studies says the situation has gotten more complicated and bolt afghanistan and pakistan face

threats from the taliban, as well as isil. >> the afghan government has been under tremendous pressure during the past two years and particularly this year, the taliban have been attacking in many fronts and the government has lost security against the taliban. a new if he mom no is taking place and the government has little resources to overcome this new challenge and the afghan security forces are heavily relying on the u.s. and arab nato allies for intelligence gathering and air power coming from the united states and u.s. drones have been very effective going after taliban and al-qaeda members. daish has become also a target of u.s. drones in afghanistan. taliban are threatened by isil in afghanistan, as well as the afghan government. it's time for the afghan and pakistani territories to come together and try to set up a mechanism in order to bring taliban on the peace and

negotiation table, because otherwise, the afghan government and also the taliban, they'll face a new phenomenon that they will have difficulties to prevent them from gaining territory and also from becoming a main trip to the sovereignty of afghanistan and pakistan. prayers for peace, indonesia's largest muslim organization rallies to denounce the jakarta attack. taiwan is told to abandon its independence ambitions by china after a landslide win for the island's opposition. in sport, a bitter rivalry reignited in the english premier league. details coming up a little later with joe. the u.n. secretary general

ban ki-moon was speaking about the need for humanitarian aid. $40 billion is needed and they to help people in desperate need around the world. the international community currently provides $25 billion a year in aid, leaving that $15 billion funding gap, despite the shortfall, the world is spending 12 times more on aid than it spends in the year 2000. >> human action is now the u.n.'s crucial activity even more than our piece keeping operations. the report rightly points out that while record sums are being given to the noble cause of humanitarian action, generosity has never been so insufficient. >> hundreds of thousands of people inside syria are in desperate need of aid. more than four mill syrians have fled the violence, mainly to neighboring countries.

caroline malone reports from a refugee camp in northern lebanon. >> malik has six mouths to feed. he brought his family from central syria while he was under seen two years ago. his two daughters of mentally disabled and require specialist care. >> we came here thinking life has to be better. we lived under seen, but honestly, it wasn't. at first, the u.n. helped us because of my daughter's situation but after a year, they were left gone to pay for rent so me moved into this tent. >> they survive on $110 a month from the u.n. he needs $100 a month for nappies alone. he's had to borrow money and is in debt. >> it's people living in refugee camps like this that need aid

money. most can't find jobs to support themselves. others are registered to be resettled, but they haven't been moved yet. >> he is from homs, taken off the u.n. register of refugees even though he lives in a camp. he is told he can work. he can only find odd jobs. >> i just want to understand, am i a refugee or not. some are getting aid cards and i'm getting nothing. i work two or three times a week doing odd jobs. all we want to do is feed our children. >> the u.n. gives aid out in the form of debit cards to be used for food clothes or fuel and distributes change coats and stoves. >> we are trying to respond to refugees' needs, however, we are often stuck in the decision of choosing the most vulnerable among those already vulnerable to ref assistance. >> the mother of four children,

her husband has a leg injury from fighting in homs three years ago, the family can't afford his medical care. >> the hardest thing for me is seeing my children ask for something and i can't give it to them. it damages you. for us, the most important thing is their education. the humanitarian aid is not enough, it's not like we are living like kings or begging in the streets. we don't want to have to depend on anybody else, but it's impossible. >> they hope to resettle in another country, but another host country has to accept them. until then, they are stuck. al jazeera, north lebanon. peep france called for refugees to be welcomed abroad as they flee conflict and hardship. he was marking world day of migrants and refugees. he said refugees can enrich other societies and should be integrated in the best way possible.

>> thousands of members of indonesia's largest muslim organization rallied to denounce violence days after attacks in jakarta. eight died in multiple bomb and gun attacks in the city center, including four of the assailants. >> it's a strong message from the largest islamic organization in the country, muslims in indonesia should stay away from the conflict in the middle east and stay away from the armed group isil. after third's attack, the first claimed by the isil in indonesia, this mental has become more urgent than ever. >> i'm very sad this happened, because they are using want name of our religion, while islam has never taught us this. >> indonesia's largest must let me organization is taking a stand against radicalization, a powerful mental in the world motor. a lass muslim country, but taking a stand on the streets make that not be enough to win no battle of ideologies.

islam for about bids killings but they kill. islam respects human beings but they kill those that have a different opinion. islam upholds universal humanity and jump holds people living together, no matter what religion. >> dozens have returned to indonesia after fighting in syria and iraq. this man has been fighting in the jungle. >> we are not supporting, perceived by them as a killer.

>>s police are carrying out of the raised. as the investigation continues, many indonesians feel now is the time to make clear their own opposition to violence. al jazeera, jakarta. china has warned taiwan to abandon a push for independence. the island's pro independence position party won a landslide victory in the presidential election. we have this report from taipei. >> inside, senior party advisors are propping for the balance of

power. >> i think the message to china is reconciliation. we try to tell them the people of taiwan are making their decisions. the way she expresses moderation is we would like to maintain the status quo. >> china will reward the outcome as a setback. in the past, refusing to endorse the principle of china and taiwan being part of a single china that will one day be unified. >> the outcome of the election was reported on the mainland. one said taiwan should abandon independence hallucinations. >> an major matters of principle, including safeguarding territorial integrity, our will is rock firm and attitude consistent. >> the win was emphatic, because

the party now has a parliamentary majority for the first time. in her victory speech, she said the result showed that the people of taiwan want a government that will defend the nation's sovereignty. it's what supporters wanted to hear. >> we don't want to be another hong kong which along with taiwan is facing the threat of china's growing military power. we want to keep our way of life. >> people are upset with the incoming government. i hope the president will bring a new how many future for taiwanese people. >> for now, she remains president-elect. her inauguration is in may, at time lag that is a worry for some analysts. >> of course, there could be national security challenges from natural disaster to possible military threat, both domestic and external. >> when she does eventually assume power, she has promised

to correct past policy mistakes, but warns the challenges taiwan faces will not disappear quickly. adrien brown, al jazeera, taipei. >> plenty more still head. u.s. democratic hopefuls get ready for their debate as the race tightens for their party's nomination. in sport, we head to argentina to see the traditional rodeo riders.

iran's president rouhani said the lifting of sanctions is a new chapter for his country which will help boost the economy. he said the nuclear deal was proof that iran can work with the international community. american journalist jason rezaian arrived in geneva a day after freed from an iranian prison. the washington post reporter he was released to four other iranian americans as part of a

prisoner swap with the u.s. facing a $14 billion shortfall to deal with humanitarian crisis, the u.n. report was released by the secretary general ban ki-moon. as ran comes in from the cold, people in iran have been giving a their reaction to what this deal means to them. >> the liftings of sanctions might have a psychological effect, but everything will eventually go back to where we started and might even get worse. >> it will take at least four or five years before the market goes back to the way it was, and i don't think we will see anything, not in the first few years, at least, five or six will need to pass. >> a senior columnist for the sawed gazette joins us. your initial reaction to the

iranian deal. >> well, it was expected. it has been long coming, so there was no surprise here. >> president rouhani said iran's nuclear deal can be used as a model to resolve regional issues. can it? >> well, he's good at solving problems with the international community, like israel and america, but not as good with muslims and arabs. i believe if he just used this model to solve his problems with his neighbors, immediate neighbors, i don't mean israel or russia, that would be good news for everyone. >> his comments were echoed by the u.s. secretary of state john kerry, the u.n. foreign sick tear 15 lil hammond saying the

deal makes the middle east and wider world a better place. you don't agree with those two gentlemen? >> there are two opportunities. one we hope for is for iran to use this space on this lifting of sanction to rebuild the bridges to the region and rebuilt their country and start development. one of these needs for the people is what they were calling for -- if they do that, that will be fine. if they use this opportunity to expand and to do for of their military intervention and more of the same, that's bad news for everyone. >> the fact that iran is now

being integrated into global politics, where does this leave its relationship with saudi arabia? >> well, i mean, america is a big heart. we don't mind to have america have friends with anyone, including israel, but they should -- and that's what we are working on, develop our relations and build on it. >> as a senior columnist, how are you covering the story? >> well, i'm covering the story from both sides. i'm watching closely what the iranians are doing not by worst, but by actions and see if their action would change in the region, they stop sponsors terrorism and spread hate speech and sectarianism in the region.

that would be good news. i am watching what the arabs are saying and doing in response. the u.n. is asking for access to help starving people. tens of thousands of people are trapped in madaya. you may find some of the images in the record distressle.

this boy can hardly muster the strengths to i am tired of this, get me out. he is among the hundreds starving with people forced to eat leaves and stray animals. after weeks have negotiations, aid convoy reached people blockaded by government forces. they reached villages besieged by rebel fighters. >> it's actually the first time where we were able to reach two areas controlled by two different sides of the conflict and what we found there is that a large number of the children have malnutrition. one boy we met sadly died in the hands of our doctor.

there are 14 other -- >> the syrian government denies the suffering and says aid is being looted by what it calls terrorist groups. >> there is no shortage of human assistance in madaya. >> rebels blockaded towns in retaliation to government tactics but haven't commented on the suffering of civilians caught up in the conflict. some say the government has been using starvation tactics for years. desperate of hungry struggled to survive. in homs, people were allowed to leave. the u.n. said the use of food as a weapon is a war crime, statements like that don't mean much to hungry children. many syrians say they've heard it all in the last five years from those involved in the conflict and that he is failing to mediate a solution.

the use of food as a weapon in more frequent. they prefer controlling land rather than protecting the syrian people. >> the israeli army has shot dead a palestinian man in the occupied west bank near hebron. they said he drew a knife and tried to attack soldiers. israeli forces used stun grenades and tear gas outside a prison in the occupied west bank. protestors were demanding the release of a prisoner detained six months without trial or charges. he's been on hunger strike for 50 days. the u.n. is calling for fifty million-dollar cash injection to help ethiopia deal with its worst drought in decades. more than 10 million people need aid. charles stratford reports.

>> muhammed used to have 53 cows. now he only has five. cell tops are scattered over the parched earth. he lived here all his life. he has 10 children. he's received two government food handouts over recent months but says it's not enough. he says he's never experienced a drought like this before. >> i'm afraid for the people now and for the children, because there is no rain, and if there is no rain, people die. there is no food and there is no milk. the drought is blamed on el niño, the effect of switch scientists believed are made worst by global warming. this year's harvest is destroyed. in some areas, men have been forced to leave their villages to find work and earn money elsewhere. with no rains expected for

months, and little food, aid agencies say the situation could deteriorate. >> united nationses told the word last year that 2.9 million people needed emergency food aid in ethiopia. that number jumped to 8.2 million and then 10.2 million people. we were in this area around october. it's very obvious that in coming back, the situation for these people has got a lot worse. >> the u.n. said 400,000 people suffer severe acute malnutrition. the organization save the children made this shocking comparison. >> we only have two emergencies in the world that we've categorized as category one, syria and ethiopia. we said we need to raise $100 million for this response. >> the international community has donated, but the scale of

the problem was never expected. >> the international community has provided more than $360 million since the first of october toward the el niño response. the government of ethiopia put forth more than $300 million just for food aid alone. the problem is the size of the need due to the he will known yo is just enormous. >> with months to go until the next rainy season, that means even more people like muhammed and his family have little choice but to wait for help to arrive. charles stratford, al jazeera, a far region in eastern ethiopia. the man left brain dead after a french drug trial has died. prosecutors in france launched an investigation into the trial after five others also became critically ill. a total of 90 healthy volunteers were given the pain killer. research on the drug has since been suspended. democratic presidential candidates in the u.s. are holding a debate sunday. the event is taking place in

south carolina, which has a troubled history of race relations. there isn't a single black candidate on stage for that debate. we have this report. >> 100 years later, we are still going through the same -- >> he is a lesser known candidate currently campaigning in south carolina. businessman willie wilson has succeeded in getting on the ballot in 13 states, but when those hoping to be the next democratic nominee hold their fourth debate sunday, he will be absent. >> we are going to have three white candidates on the stage talking about african-american issues and 56% of this state voters is african-american, and not to allow me to be up there is a shame. >> even the third place candidate, former governor martin o'malley was almost

excluded, but he struggled to meet debate cry therrien, capturing 5% approval in national polls. he charges the democratic party constrained debates to favor front runner hillary clinton. here in south carolina, the absence of any candidate of color in the debate on a weekend dedicated to civil rights leader martin luther king is the issue. the irony of holding a debate to discuss racial injustice in south carolina so close to the locations of two shootings seems

lost on democratic candidates. according so some black lives matter activists. >> there is no way we can support a democratic party right now who doesn't think the only black candidate should be on stage talking about a black lives matter issue. >> bernie sanders and hillary clinton have met with the black lives matter movement to convince them they'll fight for racial justice, but neither politician nor their party has to date welcomed a minority candidate to any debate. >> we should have all kinds of people out there protesting it. >> these are supposed to be the people that are representing the downtrodden, but unfortunately, like dr. king said, the moderate white progressive liberals sometimes the biggest barrier for the movement. >> highlighting, they say, why on the weekend, marking martin luther king's birthday, the struggle king dedicated his life fighting for what yet to be won.

al jazeera, south carolina. people in the mexican town of proud of their fresh mountain spring water, but now they're fight to go keep their pristine lifeline from contamination. we have the story. >> ask the people about this mountain spring, and they'll tell you it represents life, health and happiness. the spring water that flows down from a mountain and into their faucets has been a source of pride in this town for generations. when bulldozers rumbled in and began digging nearby about four months ago, the town of several thousand mobilized. they blocked the bulldozers with this encampment and brought construction to a halt.

>> word leaked out slowly. they complained but initially say local government officials weren't much help. >> corruption, it's always big, big problem. we can't do things easily if we are fighting something we can see. >> a company was planning to build storage containers for molasses. they worried their fresh spring water was at risk of being contaminated. >> a city official says a company called a.r.n. purchased this property in 2013 and began digging last year during a transition from one mayor to another. the company didn't have the proper permits. the city says it's now brokered an agreement that should appease everyone. >> we wanted everyone involved to participate in looking for a solution. we convinced the company to move to another place to build far

from the community. >> the company would not respond to our request for a comment, but we did see workers removing equipment from the construction site. the protestors don't trust the government deal to relocate the project. they aren't leaving just yet. their real battle is still ahead. they want the mountain spring and land around it to be designated a protected area, so it will be off limits to developers. al jazeera, mexico. let's just show you the scene in washington right there, we're waiting for president barack obama to come out and make a statement on the iranian deal implementation any minute now. we're monitoring that. we'll cross over to it as soon as we see obama, but we'll take a short break now and back in just a moment.

>> away satellite expected to enhance our understanding of the planet's oceans.

president obama is speaking from the white house. >> for decades, our difference bees with iran meant that our governments almost never spoke to each other. unit mali, that did not advance america's interests. over the years, iran moved closer and closer to having the ability to build a nuclear weapon, but from presidents franklin roosevelt to january f kennedy to ronald reagan, united states has never been afraid to pursue relations with our adversaries. i decided we could engage directly with the iranian government. we've seen the results. under the nuclear deal that we, our allies and partners reached

with iran last year, iran will not get its hands on a nuclear bomb. the region, united states and the world will be more secure. as i said many times, the nuclear deal was never intended to resolve all of your differences with iran but engaging on a sustained base for the first time in decades, has created a unique opportunity, a window to try to resolve important issues, and today, i can report progress on a number of fronts. first, yesterday marked a milestone in preventing iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. iran has now fulfilled key commitments under the nuclear deal. i want to take a moment to explain why this is so important. over more than a decade, iran had moved ahead with its nuclear program and before the deal installed nearly 20,000

centrifuges. two thirds of those machines have been removed. before the deal, iran was increasing its stack pile of enriched uranium, enough for 10 nuclear bombs. 95% of that has been shipped out of iran. iran does not now have enough material for even one bomb. iran was nearing completion of a new reactor capable of producing plutonium for a bomb. today the core that have reactor has been pulled out and filled with concrete so it cannot be used again. before the deal, the world had relatively little visibility into iran's nuclear program. today, international inspectors are on the ground and iran is being subjected to the most comprehensive intrusive inspection regime. they inspect 24 hours a day, 365

days a year. for decades to come, inspectors will have access to iran's entire nuclear supply chain. if iran tries to cheat, tries to build a bomb covertly, we will catch them. the bottom line is whereas iran was expanding its nuclear program, we have now cut off every single path that iran could have used to build a bomb. it would have taken iran two to three months to break out with enough material to construct a bomb, we have extend that to a year. an with access to iran's program, we'll know if iran ever tries to break out. now that iran's actions have been verified, it can begin to receive relief from certain nuclear sanctions and gain access to its own money that had been frozen. we've achieved this historic

progress through diplomacy, without resorting to another war in the middle east. i want to point out by working with iran on this nuclear deal, we were better better able to address other issues. when our sailors in the persian gulf accidentally strayed into iranian waters, that could have sparked an international incident. some folks here in washington rushed to declare that it was the start of another hostage crisis. instead, we worked directly with the iranian government and secured the release of our sailors within less than 24 hours. this brings me to a second major development, several americans unjustly detained by iran are finally coming home. in some case, these americans faced years of continued detention. i've met with some of their families, i've seen their anguish, how they ache for their sons and husbands. i gave these families my word, i made a vow that we would do

everything in our practice power to win the release of their loved ones and we have been tireless. on the sidelines of the nuclear negotiations, our diplomatics including secretary kerry pushed for the release of our americans. i did so myself with the meeting with president rouhani. after the nuclear deal was completed, the discussions between our governments accelerated. yesterday, these families finally got the news they'd been waiting for. jason rezaian is coming home. the courageous journalist for the washington post who wrote about the daily lives and hopes of the iranian people has been held for a year and a half. he embodies the brave spirit that gives life to the freedom of the press. jason has already been reunited with his wife and mom. pat tore saeed adedini is coming home, held for three and a half

years, his unyielding faith inspired people around the world in the global fight to uphold freedom which region. saeed adedini will return to his church and community in idaho. amir hekmati is coming home, a former sergeant in the marine corps. he's been held for four and a half years, today his parents and sisters are giving thanks in michigan. two other americans unjustly detained by iran have been released. mr. nosratollah khosravi-roodsari and matthew trevithick, an iranian who was in iran as a student. their cases were largely unknown to the world, but when americans are freed and reunited with their families, that's something we can all celebrate. i want to thank my national security team, especially secretary kerry, susan rice, my national security advisor, brett

mg girl, our whole team worked tirelessly to bring our americans home, to get this work done. i want to thank the swiss government which represents our interests in iran for their assistance. iran agreed to deepen our coordination as we look to locate robert levinson. as we rejoice in the safe return of others, we will not forget bob. each and every day, our hearts are with the family and we will not rest until their family is whole again. in a reciprocal humanitarian gesture, six iranian americans and one awaiting sentences in the united states are granted clemency. they were not charged with terrorism or violent offenses. they are civilians and it is a one time gesture to iran given the unique opportunity offered by this moment and the larger

circumstances at play. it reflects our willingness to engage with iran to advance our mutual interests, even as we ensure the national security of the united states. nuclear deal, implemented. american families reunited. the third piece of this work that we get done this weekend involved the united states and iran resolving a financial dispute that dated back three decades. since 1981, after our nations severed diplomatic relations, we worked through an international tribunal to resolve various claims between our countries. united states and iran are now settling a long standing iranian government claim against the united states government. iran will be returned its own funds, including appropriate interest but much less than the amount sought. this could save us bulbs of dollars that could have been

pursued by iran, so there was no benefit to the united states in dragging this out. with the nuclear deal done, prisoners released, the time was right to resolve this dispute, as well. of course, even as we implement the nuclear deal and welcome our americans home, we recognize that there remain pro found differences between the united states and iran. we remain steadfast in opposing iran's destabilizing behaviorles where, including threats against israel and our gulf partners and its support for violent prommies in syria and yemen. we still have sanctions on iran for violations of human rights, for support of terrorism and for its ballistic missile program and will continue to enforce these sanctions vigorously. iran's recent missile test for example was a violation of its international obligations, and as a result. the united states is imposing

sanctions on individuals and companies working to advance iran's ballistic missile program and we are going to remain vigilant about it. we are not going to waiver in the defense of our security and that of our allies and partners. i want to speak directly to the iranian people, yours is a great civilization with vibrant culture that has so much to contribute to the world with commerce, science and in arts. for decades, your government's threats and actions to destabilize your region ice rated iran from much of the world and now our governments be talking. following the nuclear deal, you, especially young iranians, have the opportunity to begin building new ties with the world. we have a rare chance to pursue a new path, a different, better future that delivers progress for both our peoples and the wider world. that's the opportunity before the iranian people.

we need to take advantage of that. today we are united in welcoming home sons and brothers and husbands who have he be accord an absolute nightmare. they never gave in and they never gave up. at long last, they can stand tall and breathe deep the pretty sure air of freedom. as a nation, we face real challenges around the world and here at home. many will not be resolved quickly or easily, but today's progress, americans coming home, an iran that has rolled back its nuclear program and accepted monitoring of that program, these things are a reminder of what we can achieve when we lead with strength and wisdom, with courage and resolve and patience. america can do and has done big things when we work t