Nuclear deal reached between Iran, 6 powers

Iran and six world powers reached a breakthrough agreement early on Sunday to curb Tehran’s atomic ambitions in exchange for limited sanctions relief, a deal President Barack Obama hailed as an important “first step” toward resolving a dangerous decade-old standoff.

The deal between the Islamic state and the United States, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia was nailed down after more than than four days of negotiations.

At the White House, President Barack Obama said the agreement was the result of “intensive diplomacy” that has “opened up a new path toward a world that is more secure – a future in which we can verify that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful, and that it cannot build a nuclear weapon.”

“While today’s announcement is just a first step, it achieves a great deal,” Obama said. “For the first time in nearly a decade, we have halted the progress of the Iranian nuclear program, and key parts of the program will be rolled back. Iran has committed to halting certain levels of enrichment, and neutralizing part of its stockpile.”

“Agreement in Geneva: first step makes world safer. More work now,” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry tweeted from Switzerland.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also called the deal “a first step.”

“We need to start moving in the direction of restoring confidence, a direction in which we have managed to move against in the past,” he told reporters in Geneva.

Zarif stressed that the “Iranian people demand respect for their rights … demand respect for their dignity,” but seemed to indicate that he felt the agreement preserved these.

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