iran supports the regime, iran has forces in syria. iran is part of the problem in syria. iran is responsible with the regime rewarding the killing of more than 250,000 syrians and the displace of around 12 million syrians. of course, yes, we have differences with iran in this regard, but regarding the efforts aimed at reaching a peaceful solution after geneva one, the efforts are there, the efforts are being done and we support these efforts and this is -- ok, rewarding the mediation as said by my brother, sheik abdullah, there are some countries that have expressed to do something, but seriousness from the iranian side is not available. they have to show something. question from the bbc. why the united arab emirates hasn't followed the steps of saudi arabia and bahrain and cut off relations with iran? what is the reason behind that? >> listen, first of all, i need to give you facts. the united arab emirates, the volume which trade goes beyond $400 billion. the volume of our trade with iran is less than 4% of that amount of money, so if i am interested in what you have sa

the question is here not whether iran is a good player. iran is a bad player. in fact, it's a terrible player. and it's important that we do act on the challenge of iran. like chairman royce, i oppose the iran deal. but our side lost the debate. the deal is in place. now we need to make sure that iran is living up to its commitments under that deal. that every word of the deal is enforced. that we crack down on iran's other bad behavior. and that we take steps to shore up the security of israel and our other allies in the region. that's the kind of bill i want to support, and we can do it together. but this bill doesn't address any of the issues. stead, this bill would establish an impossible standard for the president. order to ys that in remove a bern -- person or company from a nuclear sanctions list, the president would have to certify that the person or company never at any sanctionable in behavior, including support for iran's weapons of mass destruction programs. well, if they had never engaged in sanctionable behavior, why would they be on the sanction

and iran. so it could very well be that the americans who were held in iran are now possibly on their way as well. we have no confirmation of that as yet, but that is certainly something that could be the case if, in fact, now these iranians have gone free. all seven individuals were people who were incass rated for essentially busting the sanctions against iran for acquiring satellite equipment, technology. that was distant for iran while iran was under sanctions. now those seven iranians have received clemency in return for those four americans who were in custody of the iranians. >> let's talk about the americans who are expected to travel to where you are at landstuhl. do we have any any idea when that will happen? again, we just learned the seven iranians have been released and the expectation is the americans will be freed either simultaneously or in a few moments. >> reporter: yeah. you know what? several factors we need to take into account. one of the questions would all of them have b

and iran. a fifth american, matthew trevithick, and he was also released, not as part of the larger negotiations but the iranian released him. he was a student detained in the last 40 days as a goodwill gesture. the white house just wrapped up a call with reporters, senior administration officials do say that matthew trevithick has left iran. waiting for four americans to get out of airspace to be reunited with their families. >> jim sciutto's getting more information. i what would have thought four americans were already out of there. apparently something is delaying their departure. what you hearing, jim? >> white house officials say the plane is still on the ground but it's just a logistical issue at this point, and i've been speaking to families as well. they're waiting for confirmation of wheels up from the plane. they don't have it yet. the white house saying it will happen but they have to work through what sounds like red tape. i would know it's already sunday in tehran, to by iran time

has upon iran. we know today is the implementation of the iran nuclear deal. those sanctions have been lifted today. you have heard in recent officials, iranian officials and iran's president say he would be open to a swap for jason rezaian and others. in recent months, they are not saying anything about any kind of deal. when i spoke to secretary kerry in september, he said that he acknowledged for the first time that there were such talks going on. the u.s. officials are not saying anything about any potential deal saying that any discussions that they may or may not be having with the iranians would jeopardize any efforts to free them. >> is this in your opinion, elise, as you have seen this conversation continue. when we look back at the president the past week with the state of the union, he was heavily criticized for not mentioning the ten sailors who were detained by iran. a lot of people have been heavily critical of this iran deal because rezaian was not part of it. we are waiting for them to lift the sanctions and all of the sudden, these four are re

he made a mistake trusting iran. will i rely on historians for that. it is unfortunate that this debate and this bill are necessary to remind the president that we expect him to keep his promise, his promise to withhold billions of dollars in sanctions relief that iran will otherwise use to spread terror and use to develop ballistic missiles aimed at our shores. ranking member engel may be correct that our actions today are symbolic. but we troublemakers in congress have no choice, we must try, we must try whenever possible to remind the president you cannot do a good deal with a bad guy. i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 3662. i yield back the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. engel: may i ask how much time is left? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york has 14 1/2 minutes. millennium challengele: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is reco

iran violated u.n. security council resolutions about ballistic missiles, fired rockets within a few hundred yards of u.s. naval ships in the strait of hormuz, convicted a "the washington post" reporter held hostage on trumped up false charges, it's taken two more americans hostage, raided and burned the embassy of a u.s. ally, and now it seized two u.s. navy vessels and held ten sailors, that's a picture of emboldened iran and white house conciliated and apieced iran to keep its nuclear deal. >> with saudi embassy in tehran the other day, ransacked and burned in the aftermath of the saudis executing about 40 convicted terrorists including one top shiite cleric. you believe the revolutionary guard corps was directly responsible for the takedown for the burning of the saudi embassy in tehran? >> wolf, i believe that in a dictatorship like tehran, embassies aren't raided and burned without the implicit or explicit support of the key factions within the regime. >> we're now getting more information from an

the opening up of iran. the bringing iran in from the cold. do you think the administration feels it's time to start talking about that broader possibility? >> i think probably. i don't know exactly what he's doing to say. i do think he will herald this moment as an opportunity to demonstrate what diplomacy can achieve in terms of getting these americans home safe. he'll likely make the case that it's because of the thaw in relations between the united states and iran. it's likely because of this deal, this deal to end iran's potentially nuclear weapons program. it's a nuclear program. potentially those could be weaponized and to end the program that's how this was able to be diffused including what happened recently just in a few days ago with the ten u.s. sailors who had, according to them, accidentally drifted into iranian waters were being detained by irans. we said the aide of the president putting the remarks out on the podium. there's a real compartmentalization. doing everything it was told it needed to do and the united nations certif

, meaning iran doesn't have enough material for even one bomb. before iran was nearing completion of a reactor capable of producing plutonium for the bomb. the core of that reactor has been filled out and filled can concrete so it cannot be used again. before the deal, the world had relatively little visibility into iran's nuclear program. today inspectors are on the ground and iran is subjected to the most comprehensive and intrusive inspection regime ever program. inspectors win monitor 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. for decades to come inspectors will have access to iran's en entire supply chain. if iran tries to cheat, we will catch them. the bottom line is this, where iran was expanding the 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 rush to a bomb, we have extended that breakout time to a year. and with the world's unprecedented inspections and access to iran's program we'll know if iran ever tries to break out. now that iran's actions have b

and iran. iran is now allowed to sell oil on the open market after sanctions were lifted. it will have access to the global banking system and will gain access to more than $100 billion in frozen assets in banks around the world. president obama called it a victory for smart dip plome yes. >> this is a good day. because once again we're seeing what's possible with strong american diplomacy. as i said in my state of the union address, ensuring the security of the united states and the safety of our people demands a smart, patient, and disciplined approach to the that includes our diplomacy with the islamic republic of iran. for decades our differences with iran meant that our governments almost never spoke to each other. ultimately 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 john f. kennedy to ronald reagan, the united states has never been afraid to pursue diplomacy with our adversaries. as president i decided that a strong, confident america

said a new europe in relations with iran has -- era in relations with iran has begun. >> relations between iran and iaea are entering into a new phase. we are committed to continue our work in an impartial, nonpolitical, impartial way. amy: more later after headlines. in burkina faso, gunmen killed at least 29 civilians from seven different countries during a nine-hour long attack in ouagadougou. the attackers opened fire on a restaurant, set fire to cars and motorcycles and then holed up in , the splendid hotel, firing on passersby. al qaeda in the islamic maghreb claimed responsibility for the attack. in iraq, security forces have been going door to door, searching homes in areas of the capital baghdad after three u.s. contractors went missing. the three u.s. citizens were reportedly kidnapped by militiamen from an apartment described by some iraqi authorities as a brothel. meanwhile a new u.n. tally , describes a "staggering civilian death toll" from violence in iraq, with nearly 19,000 civilians killed from the beginning of 2014 through october. a leading yemeni journalist has been kil

and iran was implemented. take a listen. >> today we can confidently say that each of the pathways that iran had toward enough fissile material toward a nuclear weapon has been verifiably closed down. >> the international atomic watch dog agency confirming late yesterday iran dismantled key parts of its nuclear program and sanctions have been lifted. nbc's ali arouzi is in tehran with the latest. ali? >> reporter: richard action an important day for diplomatic relations in iran. the nuclear deal has been implemented. people have been waiting for this to are a long time. we knew it would be on this date and now it's happened. economic sanctions on the country have been lifted. president rouhani made a speech today to the nation saying that the country has been freed of economic sanctions, the chains have been broken, and it's a new golden era for the country. so iran can now look forward to economic prosperity. what we didn't anticipate was the release of these four dual nationals. that came as a big surprise t

iran must pay the price. the bill before us today and banking provision of the comprehensive investment act. now, of course we want to stop banks fa sill state h tatings these banking organizations. and they distinguish between terrorist groups. there is no distincton and i have upon out. because of this zrep ensi. this bill has the bill to cut off european banks. now is the time for us to be working with our allies to crack down on iran's dangerous activities. whether you supported this deal or not, it's going forward. we should be looking for bipartisan ways to ensure it is enforced the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one additional minute. mr. deutch: it is enforced with vigor and the most stringent compliance. if a violation occurs and if iran continues to engage in illegal activities we must havee we have the tools to punishing activities. but certainly with the full bipartisan support of the united states congress. i cannot speak about iran on the floor of the u.s. house without mak

and iran? >> well, fred, we've long had a situation in which the vast majority of the iranian people would like to have better relations with the united states, but the hard line forces who really control power in tehran, the supreme leader and the revolutionary guards, have been opposed to that. i think that joust will really continue in the coming months and years. the will of the iranian people, we should also not underestimate these forces of darkness in iran that want to see the status quo continue. >> so, then, when we look at the release of these americans and while this administration wants to celebrate that and say that, you know, this is a good day, at the same time, do you see that this kind of diplomacy working toward the release of prisoners could also backfire? >> i doubt this is the last time that the iranian government has imprisoned u.s. citizens. if i were to fly to tehran tomorrow, i have no doubt that i would also be thrown in evin prison. we should also note there remains a

iran and iran's proxy. so there is a sort of ambiguity in saudi arabia's policy toward i.s.i.s. secondly, you cannot ramp up sectarianism and sunni rejection of shias without playing into i.s.i.s.'s narrative. finally, i think, you know, wendy raised some very important issues about what the united states ought to do. i think one of the challenges is that, in iraq, the fight against i.s.i.s. requires the iraqi government which is the shia government which is backed by iran which, two cooperate with the united states in this fight. the victory in ramadi was an american-iraqi-shia alliance that achieved this. now, abadi is facing unhappiness on his own street, demonstrations against saudi arabia demanded the saudi embassy be shot down and other politicians like nouri al-maliki are ramping up, texs to the execution. i think iraq is in a weak point. it's question how abadi can actually move on the gains in ramadi and bring some kind of a political sentiment and engage the sunnis in iraq, in a partnership that w

today, more than 98% of that stockpile has been shipped out of iran -- meaning iran now doesn't have enough material for even one bomb. before, iran was nearing completion of a new reactor capable of producing plutonium for a bomb. today, the core of that reactor has been pulled out and filled with concrete so it cannot be used again. before the deal, the world had relatively little disability to iran's nuclear program. today, international inspectors are on the ground, and iran is being subjected to the most comprehensive, intrusive inspection regime ever negotiated to monitor a nuclear program. inspectors will monitor iran's key nuclear facilities 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. for decades to come, inspectors will have access to iran's entire nuclear supply chain. in other words, if iran tries to cheat -- if they try to build a bomb covertly -- we will catch them. so the bottom line is this. whereas iran was steadily expanding its nuclear program, we have now cut off every single path that iran could have used to build a bomb. whereas it would have taken iran two to three months

five prisoners released from iran. freed four prisoners as part of a complex swap for the return of seven iranians held in u.s. prisons. a fifth released without being part of that formal deal. cnn spoke to the "washington post" reporter just six weeks before he was captured. anthony bourdain, the host of parts unknown, sat down with he and his wife in northern tehran. of course, now we know the couple would soon be forced apart. convicted by the iranians of espionage charges. it looks at the lifestyle in tehr tehran, that would change everything. >> as print journalists, but also kind of easy, because it's so much to write about, you know. the difficult part is convincing people on the other side of the world that what we're telling you, we're seeing in front of our eyes, is actually there. when you walk down the street, you see a different side of things. people are proud, the culture is vibrant. people have a lot to say. >> jason and his wife works for the newspaper, the national. jason is iranian american. ugani is

many in iran said that this deal could strengthen ties with saudi arabia and iran. is that a sent in the that riyadh agrees with? >> kingdom of saudi arabia called for iran to come to the international community, this is a good step that saudi arabia is monitoring close. we would like iran and neighbouring muslim country with an influence among the world economy to be part of the international community. i think saudi arabia, they have developed the notion that iran is coming back with a genuine cause, and will stop exporting revolution ideas to some areas, i think saudi arabia will play ball. they are both big countries, wealthy countries. i think it will be a good step for the whole region >>> now that iran has come to the international stage, how concerned is saudi arabia that the tables may have turned? saudi arabia may have lost western allies. iran, after all, is now the favourite partner in the region. >> i don't think that will affect saudi arabia that it will hold us accountable economically. i don't think saudi arabia feels that our long-time ally has beco

iran have choked the economy. an international ban on doing business with iranian banks, the import of iranian oil and the freezing of government and private assets have contributed to sluggish, even negative, growth. that superannuation gel hold is finally being loosened >> the lifting of the sanctions will, first of all, have a very positive psychological impact and will xem a lot of the ininvestmentor-- investors who had either been barred or basically were in a waiting mode to start investing activities. >> reporter: the iranian government agreed to limit nuclear development in exchange for to a return to energy and financial markets. it will be able to access billions of dollars worth of frozen assets stuck in foreign banks. there are questions over how the leaders will channel this windfall. the president has said he wants to attract foreign investment, expand the oil and natural gas sectors. the deal could not be better timed with parliamentary elections scheduled next month. >> translation: i tell the grea

as ron mentioned, this goes back to 1979 when iran and america were good friends, when iran was america's closest ally in the region. things have obviously changed a lot since that time, and that's one of the issues that worries the u.s.'s persian gulf allies in the region. they're worried iran might reset its relationship with america the way it was before the revolution, but i think we're still a very long way off from that. richard? >> ali, just what has happened in the last 48 hours reminding us not only of the recent history but the old history that you were just giving us some perspective on between the united states and iran. before we leave you, we're now 24 hours later. this as you knock on a new monday just ahead of you in about 30 minutes or so. what were the headlines today in the sunday papers about what happened with the prisoner swap as well as the iaea saying iran is good? >> reporter: very little in the papers about the prisoner swap because it was still going on late last night, so it didn't reach print today, but it was mentioned in state media, not a very big deal made

>>> iran's leader hail is his country's nuclear deal. a turning point for its committ committee economy >>> you're watching al jazeera in doha. coming up in the next half hour, iran frees five american prisoners. china tells taiwan to abandon its hallucination for its push for independence. we go along for a wild ride in argentina with where these men are saddling up to keep a dangerous tradition alive. iran's isolation from the international community is over. e.u. and u.s. sanctions on iran have been lifted after the u.n.'s nuclear watchdog confirms that iran has complied with the nuclear agreement in july. >> reporter: diplomacy takes time. there were delays right up to the end. when the announcement finally came, it was the international atomic energy agency that broke the news. >> relations between iran and the i.a.e.a. now enter a new phase. it is an important day for the international community. i congratulate all those who helped make it a reality. >> reporter: so with implementation day is here. the iranian foreign minister and

to iran it is fairly limited. the one big thing they've done to every other country and business, you can now do business with iran. you can buy their oil and natural gas. when it comes to american companies, the only thing that they can sell to iran airplanes parts and service. the world is going to be able to do business with iran as far as an impact to u.s. companies it is going to be pretty limited >>> as iran preparess for the lifting of sanctions, they will release five people and in return seven iranians will be released. >> reporter: on saturday iranian state television announced the news this journalist's family wanted to hear, that after 18 months in prison the reporter convicted of spying was now free. his employer is celebrating and said: >> reporter: these three men as well as two other dual nationals were released in a deal that also sees seven iranians free. 14 other iranians have had charges dropped while iran is helping to find the refired f.b.i. man. iran has dismantled its nuclear weapons progra

returned to iran. that is what diplomacy looks like. it has to be a compromise. both sides have to give something. if we think we can conduct foreign policy by dictating to other countries what they have to do and never give anything from our ownend, we're going to end up with the same time before post a result that george bush produced. nermeen: i would like to ask about iran's position in the region. earlier this month, saudi arabia executed 47 people including , shiite cleric nimr al-nimr, marking its largest mass execution in decades. in response, protesters in the iranian capital tehran torched part of the saudi embassy. saudi arabia responded by severing diplomatic ties with iran. the sunni-led nations of bahrain and sudan soon followed suit. the united arab emirates downgraded ties with iran, while kuwait recalled its ambassador there. last week, saudi foreign minister adel al-jubeir said saudi arabia would also end air traffic and trade relations with iran. >> we decided to cut off all diplomat

why not live with iran? and if they decide to do that then they will encourage forces within iran that are willing and able to accommodate western interests. >> one thing that iran is eager to help the west with is confronting i.s.i.l. both iran and the u.s. back the iraqi government in the war against i.s.i.l. fighters. but in neighboring syria where i.s.i.l. also controls territory, iran and the u.s. work at cross-purposes. that's because they back opposing sides in syria's civil war. in fact, in almost every contentious area and issue facing the middle east today, syria, israel, yemen, and the flow of oil to the world, iran and the u.s. are on opposite sides. nowhere is that more apparent than in the straight of hormuz, a narrow waterway that connects oil tanker traffic between the waters of the gulf and the indian ocean. at its narrowest point just 21 miles separates iran from the countries of the aarabian peninsula on the other side. let me give you a sense of how much a choke point it is. across the st

custody elected to go back to iran. the obama administration's with iran remains hugely controversial. just as the iranian hostage crisis defined jimmy carter's presidency, ultimately dooming his re-election efforts, likewise the iran deal is at least a factor in the 2016 race. >> the fact is we shouldn't have to trade anything to get our citizens back home. >> we've got to shake our head at how it's happening. >> for one thing the republicans don't buy, iran's assurances that the country has suspended its nuclear weapons program. so what does the former hostage think? >> do you feel that president obama made a bad deal? >> are you talking specifically about getting the five men back this week or four men? >> the whole thing. >> i think the iranians got a better deal than we did. >> reporter: 35 years later, he still hasn't forgiven iran for the 444 days they stole from his life. but he has moved on with his life. he's able even to enjoy the movie "argo" which dealt with one chapter of the hostage crisis all those years

iran was never meant to pay. cook was among the hostages that were taken in 1979, he recalls the blindfoldings, and being led to mock firing squads and finally being released. more than three decades later cook considers himself one of the lucky ones. he was able to return to a career at the state department and move on with life. >> other of my colleagues who really in some cases literally took it to their grave, never got over it. >> reporter: and he says he felt the responsibility the speak on their behalf in fighting for compensation for their time in captivity. >> part of it is to repair a wrong. part of it is to help people, even this many years on, to get over a situation which was very difficult. >> reporter: the only compensation cook and others received came from the u.s. government and was for $22,000, amounting to $50 for each day they were held. >> an expression of gratitude on the part of the u.s. government and the american people, i find that perfectly satisfactory. as compensation for the harm ca

listen, iran... i have a particular set of skills, and if you don't -- oh, they're on their way back? well, good, because i was about to tell you about my particular set -- hello? they hung up. (laughter) to summarize, in the last week, america's greatest enemy in the middle east opened up their country to nuclear inspections, released american soldiers trespassing in their barters and freed all the remaining u.s. prisoners in its country. i think this calls for a celebration. (iranian club music) (cheers and applause) >> trevor: okay, okay! stop, stop the music! i feel pli mes chair growing. that's enough! we'll be right back! (cheers and applause) video streaming burns tons of data. and those other guys love over charging you for it. not t-mobile! now you can binge watch without watching your data. it's binge on - only from t-mobile. get unlimited streaming on netflix, hbo now, hulu, and more. plus get four lines with up to six gigs each for just thirty-five bucks a line. that's right. six gigs eac

the shaw of iran departed his country -- the shah of iran departed his country in january of 1979 following years of strikes and protests. religious leader ayatollah khomeini was created by iranians when he returned from exile two years later then the royal government fell and national referendum established iran as an islamic republic on april 1, 1979. on november 4 of that year, iranian students seized the american embassy and took more than 50 hostages. the hostages were still held when president carter gave his final state of the union address in january, 1980. here is a two-minute portion of president carter addressing the hostage situation. pres. carter: in response to the abhorrent act in iran, our nation has never been so unified in peacetime. our position is clear -- the united states will not yield to blackmail. [applause] pres. carter: we continue to pursue these specific goals, first, to protect the present and long-range interests of the united states. secondly, to preserve the lives of the american hostages and secure as quickly as possible their safe release. bloodshed,, to a

the surprise announcement from iran. americans released in a prison swap as an historic nuclear deal stake -- takes effect and sanctions against iran are lifted. >>> fighting words. donald trump with a blistering new attack on ted cruz while the democrats get set for tomorrow's crucial debate before the iowa caucuses. >>> terror attack. the deadly siege of a hotel in west africa by al qaeda militants. dozens killed including one american. >>> toxic water. president obama declares a federal emergency for the city where tens of thousands were exposed to dangerous levels of lead. >>> oh, bei bei. the public debut of washington's newest star, the picture of the day in black and white. "nightly news" begins now. nig"nightly news" >>> good evening. we begin tonight with what appears to be a turning point in this country's relationship with iran. the u.s. confirming late today that iran is complying with the agreement reached last summer on reducing its nuclear capability and that paved the way for the lifting of western sancti

negotiator with iran. also, david singer, the you are times -- the new york times national security correspondent, and phil gordon. i am pleased to have all of them on this program. i begin with philip gordon. where are we? we are in a situation that is even more difficult than it was a few days ago. charlie: because more people have gotten involved, or because more people seem to be backing down? key too, because the these situations is the splits between saudi arabia and iran. that is driving the conflicts in syria, yemen, driving the policy the policyl, driving on executions, and so many other things in the region. the prerequisite to deal with these conflicts is to have some form of tolerance. you have this process going on in vienna to get these guys at the table for the first time, which led to some sliver of hope that you could bridge the gap and bring this terrible war to an end, and with the execution of the shia cleric, the burning of the embassy, the rupture of democracy, it has set back any hop

embassy in iran. up next, david harris, author of "the crisis: the coming of militant islam" discusses politics in iran. he talks about ayatollah khomheini and steps taken by the carter administration to handle the crisis. the capitola book cafe hosted this event in 2004. mr. harris: ok. it is a pleasure to be back at the capitola book cafe. i have had a number of pleasant experiences here before. i am glad to be back for my book. this is my ninth book. -- whoops. is the microphone on? >> you can turn up the volume. mr. harris: is that better? ok, thank you. -- as youget this know i am here for "the crisis: -- coming of militant islam" 1979 and the coming of militant islam. i chose this subject because of my own private theory of how the operates.ic i think when we as a people has an experience, that experience as shocking as the one i chronicle, it is absorbed by us and particularly in our culture with a 32nd attention ond attentionc thank him it changes our posture towards subjects. a very quickly w

as to iran, in 1980 iran declared the united states as a strategic enemy with its stated goal to drive the united states out of the region, achieve hegemony and destroy the state of israel. it uses proxies primarily as the world's number one state sponsoring terrorism terrorism and to fight proxy wars. beginning in the early 1980s began jihad against the united states by bombing the marine barracks, united states embassy, and the and is in lebanon, something something our ambassador is intimately familiar with. the united states embassy in kuwait, the towers in saudi arabia, and attack in the united says military in iraq using shia militias trained in iran with advanced -- during the 80s the iran began an aggressive kidnapping assassination campaign which resulted in hostages and death of the cia station chief buckley. the policy of hostagetaking taking for political gain continues today. today, the result is u.s. troops left lebanon, saudi arabia, and initially iraq while iran, as you can see on the next map the changing middle east map in red has a direct influence on some control ov

the question is here not whether iran is a good player. iran is a bad player. in fact, it's a terrible player. and it's important that we do act on the challenge of iran. like chairman royce, i oppose the iran deal. but our side lost the debate. the deal is in place. now we need to make sure that iran is living up to its commitments under that deal. that every word of the deal is enforced. that we crack down on iran's other bad behavior. and that we take steps to shore up the security of israel and our other allies in the region. that's the kind of bill i want to support, and we can do it together. but this bill doesn't address any of the issues. stead, this bill would establish an impossible standard for the president. order to ys that in remove a bern -- person or company from a nuclear sanctions list, the president would have to certify that the person or company never at any sanctionable in behavior, including support for iran's weapons of mass destruction programs. well, if they had never engaged in sanctionable behavior, why would they be on the sanction

it far more difficult for iran to develop a nuclear weapon. so washington and the eu kept their word today dropping sanctions that have been crippling the iranian economy, giving iran access to world markets and billions of dollars in frozen assets. >> we welcome that iran has followed through on the promises that it made. it has kept its word and we will continue to do the same. remain vigilant in verifying iran's compliance every hour of every day in the years ahead. >> reporter: at least two americans are still either held or missing in iran. the americans released today are expected to eventually make their way to germany for medical checkups before heading home. >> thank you for more on the iran nuclear deal. we turn to our chief foreign affairs correspondent. she is in south carolina getting ready for tomorrow night's democratic debate. >> reporter: republican candidates led of course by donald trump pounced on the idea of releasing iranians from u.s. jails to get the americans back. and even former secretary of state hillary clinton too

the iran nuclear deal. i was sort of sick to my stomach about it because what is going to happen, iran is going to get a ton of money. this money they can use to spread a lot of trouble in the middle east, in fact there have been reports from some other arab counsel trees that they're more worried about the economic gains of iran than they are what they think potential development of a weapon. i've heard this from various people. look, i just think it was a terrible deal. that they did, in terms of the release i'm glad these people are out, but they were there on trumped up charges, you know that reporter who was held there for a very long time who every journalist in america said, was falsely taken, they trump up charges, it's a bad situation. we're glad they're out. but, excuse me, we don't want to have the iranians grabbing people then try to get their own we ought to focus now on this iran deal. john, my sense if i were president today i'd be meeting with everyone of our allies around the world and sayi

iran seized 2 u.s. navy vessels, illegally detained 10 american sailors, and propagandized the entire incident in total violation of international law and centuries of maritime tradition. i must add, as a former navy person, that is the most humiliating thing i have een. members of the u.s. navy subjected to in my or their ifetime. i am sure that the iranians use those pictures of american servicemen and women on their knees much to their great success throughout the world, as well as the region. shortly after the result, the release of 4 american hostages in iran, we learned that 3 americans were kidnapped in baghdad, apparently by in iranian backed shiite militia. i have no doubt the obama administration has pursued a new relationship with iran because it believed doing so would release sectarian ensions. but the reality is the in -- administration's overtures exacerbated nly these tensions among our traditional sunni partners and allies, such as israel and turkey. this dynamic has only grown worse be

iran has convinced this white house that any additional sanctions on iran will kill the iran deal. so they will get all they can over the next 12 months. and i want to be wrong. i am not married to the assessment, but i know enough about the regime and the hardliners, but they are empowered because of implementation day. i hope i'm wrong. >> if you look at thing, and baby steps, which is what it takes in diplomacy, and if it weren't nor the implementation day today, would the five americans have been releesased? is there a silver lining here? >> well, what it demonstrates to the world, and okay. listen f they had released the five americans without us releasing seven criminals after the fbi had extensive files, and casework done on them to put them in prison, i would say, yes. but that is not what happened. they released the sailors and released americans today because they are set to get $100 billion. if that was not on the table, they'd all still be detained. there were pawns in the chess game, and everybody knows that iran knows how the play chess. they invented it. >> and micha

and iran. and i think that's why it's a minor point but when you look at the podiums on the stage you'll see there are two next each and one to the side. i think that will be frederica moggherini representing the e.u., representing the whole of the international community and mr. sharee representing iran and of course john kerry also there being the most important player in the international community the so-called p5 plus one. >> we are awaiting the arrival of those three leaders in the preconference in vienna. we have had some reaction from the implementation days. that came from the director generally of the international atomic agency energy. >> relations between iran and the iaea being now enter a new face. it is an important -- phase, it is an important day for the international community. i congratulate all those who helped make it a reality, especially the group of countries known as the e3, e.u. plus three, iran and the iaea board. >> james, as we await the arrival of these three leade