West Lifts Sanctions Against Iran

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Photo: Craig Ruttle / DPA

TEHRAN, Iran — The head of the UN nuclear watchdog was due to arrive in Tehran on Sunday, one day after international sanctions were lifted as part of a landmark nuclear accord.

Yukiya Amano, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, would meet Iranian President Hassan Rowhani and the chairman of the country's Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, the UN agency said.

The European Union and United States lifted sanctions targeting Iran and announced a prisoner exchange Saturday, ending Tehran's international isolation.

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The IAEA confirmed that Tehran had kept its side of last year's agreement with six major powers by significantly scaling down its nuclear programme.

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Amano's meetings would "focus on the IAEA's role in verifying and monitoring Iran's nuclear-related commitments," the IAEA statement said.

Story: DPA