The Washington Post

The announced implementation of the Iranian nuclear deal Saturday came with an important bonus: Tehran’s release of four U.S. citizens it had imprisoned, including The Post’s Jason Rezaian, in exchange for seven people charged or convicted of crimes in the United States. Rezaian, who was held for 544 days, committed no crime and should have never been arrested. His freeing and that of the other Americans ends a gross injustice.

Judicial authorities repeatedly violated Iran’s own laws by, among other things, holding Rezaian for months – often in solitary confinement – before bringing charges, allowing him almost no pretrial contact with his defense lawyer, failing to inform him or his lawyer of the verdict or sentence after completion of a sham trial in August, and ignoring a deadline for release in the absence of a public conviction.

Rezaian’s release, and that of his fellow Americans, is unlikely to end Iran’s transgressions of international law. The International Atomic Energy Agency certified Saturday that Iran had complied with the initial requirements of the nuclear deal. That allowed the government to gain access to tens of billions of dollars in frozen assets as well as the lifting of sanctions on Iran’s banks and oil industry.

Since the accord was signed, however, Iran has twice violated a separate U.N. Security Council resolution prohibiting testing of long-range missiles. It continues to hold at least one American; another remains missing. The Obama administration’s response has been weak: It withdrew the modest sanctions it had prepared in response to the missile launches.

The Post and Rezaian’s family will celebrate his safe return and that of the other Americans. But in the absence of a firmer U.S. policy, Iran’s attacks on Americans and vital U.S. interests will surely continue.

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