The world’s major powers yesterday clinched a historic deal aimed at ensuring Iran does not obtain the nuclear bomb, opening up Tehran’s stricken economy and potentially ending decades of bad blood with the West.
Reached on day 18 of marathon talks in Vienna, the accord is aimed at resolving a 13-year standoff over Iran’s nuclear ambitions after repeated diplomatic failures and threats of military action.
It was hailed by Iran, the US, the EU and others, but branded a “historic mistake” by the Islamic republic’s archfoe, Israel.
Photo: AP
US President Barack Obama said the deal meant “every pathway to a nuclear weapon is cut off.”
“This deal demonstrates that American diplomacy can bring real and meaningful change,” Obama said in an address to the nation, with US Vice President Joe Biden by his side.
“This deal offers an opportunity to move in a new direction. We should seize it,” he said.
He vowed to veto any congressional effort to block the deal, reached between Iran and the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a live televised address that “God has accepted the nation’s prayers.”
EU Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini described the deal as “a sign of hope” around the globe, while Russian President Vladimir Putin said the world had “breathed a huge sigh of relief.” Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a close ally of Iran, also offered his congratulations.
The deal puts strict limits on Iran’s nuclear activities for at least a decade and calls for stringent UN oversight, with world powers hoping this will make any dash to make an atomic bomb virtually impossible.
In return, Iran is to receive sanctions relief although the measures can “snap back” into place if there are any violations.
The international arms embargo against Iran is to remain for five years, but deliveries would be possible with special permission from the UN Security Council, Moscow said.
Tehran has accepted allowing the UN atomic watchdog tightly controlled “managed access” to military bases, an Iranian official said.
Tehran is to slash by about two-thirds the number of centrifuges from approximately 19,000 to 6,104, an Iranian “fact sheet” confirmed.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the agreement was “not perfect for anybody,” but described it as “an important achievement.”
Painful international sanctions that have slashed the oil exports of OPEC’s fifth-largest producer by a quarter and choked its economy will be lifted and billions of dollars in frozen assets unblocked.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deal “a historic mistake for the world.”
“We did commit to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and this commitment still stands,” he said.
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