Iran, six world powers clinch breakthrough nuclear deal
By Parisa Hafezi and Justyna Pawlak
GENEVA (Reuters) - Iran and six world powers
reached a breakthrough deal early on Sunday to curb Tehran's nuclear
program in exchange for limited sanctions relief, in what could be the
first sign of an emerging rapprochement between the Islamic state and
the West.
Aimed at ending a
dangerous standoff, the agreement between Iran and the United States,
France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia was clinched after more than
four days of tortuous negotiations in the Swiss city of Geneva.
Halting Iran's most sensitive nuclear work, it was designed as a package
of confidence-building steps to ease decades of tensions and
confrontation and banish the specter of a Middle East war over Tehran's
nuclear aspirations.
But Iran's arch foe Israel denounced it as a "bad deal" and said it would not be bound by it.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who has been coordinating
talks with Iran on behalf of the major powers, said it created time and
space for talks aimed at reaching a comprehensive solution to the
dispute.
"This is only a first step," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad
Zarif told a news conference. "We need to start moving in the direction
of restoring confidence, a direction in which we have managed to move
against in the past."
Hard-pressed by sanctions, many Iranians were elated by the easing of tensions and prospect of economic improvement.
U.S. President Barack Obama said that if Iran did not meet its
commitments during a six-month period, the United States would turn off
sanctions relief and "ratchet up the pressure".
U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warmly welcomed the interim agreement and
urged the governments concerned "to do everything possible to build on
this encouraging start".
But Israel was unhappy. "This is a bad
deal. It grants Iran exactly what it wanted - both a significant easing
in sanctions and preservation of the most significant parts of its
nuclear program," an official in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhayu's
office said.
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (3rd L) delivers a statement during a ceremony …
Israeli officials however stopped short of threatening unilateral
military action that could further isolate the Jewish state and imperil
its alliance with Washington, saying more time was needed to assess the
agreement.
The West fears that Iran has been seeking to develop a
nuclear weapons capability. The Islamic Republic denies that, saying
its nuclear program is a peaceful energy project.
The United
States said the agreement halted progress on Iran's nuclear program,
including construction of the Arak research reactor, which is of special
concern for the West as it could yield potential bomb material.
It would neutralize Iran's stockpile of uranium refined to a fissile
concentration of 20 percent, which is a close step away from the level
needed for weapons, and calls for intrusive U.N. nuclear inspections, a
senior U.S. official said.
Iran has also committed to stop uranium enrichment above a fissile purity of 5 percent, a U.S. fact sheet said.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) gestures towards French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (R) n …
Refined uranium can be used to fuel nuclear power plants - Iran's
stated goal - but also provide the fissile core of an atomic bomb if
refined much further.
REVERSIBLE SANCTIONS RELIEF
Diplomacy with Iran was stepped up after the June landslide election of
Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, as Iranian president in June,
replacing bellicose Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Rouhani's policy of
"constructive engagement" with the outside world aims to get sanctions
lifted. He has the crucial backing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, keeping powerful hardline critics at bay.
On a Twitter
account widely recognized as representing Rouhani, a message said:
"Iranian people's vote for moderation & constructive engagement +
tireless efforts by negotiating teams are to open new horizons."
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (R) gestures as Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif …
"Ultimately, it is the Iranian people and the American people who
deserve the most credit. Both are responsible for this initial victory
by rejecting defeatists who said that a brighter future was not possible
(and) diplomacy could not succeed," said Trita Parsi, president of the
National Iranian American Council (NIAC) think-tank.
But many
obstacles remain, he said. "Hardliners in both countries will work
harder than ever to sabotage this pivot towards a diplomatic path. Those
whose only currency is confrontation will search for any opportunities
they can find to undermine and sabotage this interim deal."
For
now though, many Iranians were joyful. A post in Farsi by Zarif
announcing the deal on his Facebook page received 47,979 "likes" in two
hours. There was an outpouring of gratitude and many described him as a
"national hero".
"Dear Doctor Zarif ... Your efforts have filled the hearts of the whole nation with happiness," wrote Shayrin Shamshirband.
"I am writing this comment with my eyes filled with tears. Thank you
for everything ... After many years, you have returned happiness to the
people. You have restored hope in our hearts and pride in my country,"
commented Mehrnoosh Mohebi.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) gestures as Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (2nd …
The Geneva deal does not recognize an Iranian right to enrich uranium
and sanctions would still be enforced, the U.S. official said.
But Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran's enrichment program had been officially recognized.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the agreement would make it
harder for Iran to make a dash to build a nuclear weapon and would make
Israel and other U.S. allies safer.
Kerry also told a news
conference that while Obama would not take off the table the possible
use of force against Iran, he believed it was necessary first to exhaust
diplomacy.
He said the limited sanctions relief could be reversible.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (3rd R) hugs European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton …
After Ashton read out a statement on the deal at the United Nations office in Geneva, ministers appeared elated.
Ashton and Kerry hugged each other, and Kerry and Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov shook hands. Minutes later, as the Iranian
delegation posed for photos, Zarif and French Foreign Minister Laurent
Fabius embraced.
- Potential access to $1.5 billion in revenue
from trade in gold and precious metals and the suspension of some
sanctions on Iran's auto sector, and its petrochemical exports.
-
Allow purchases of Iranian oil to remain at their currently
significantly reduced levels. "$4.2 billion from these sales will be
allowed to be transferred in installments if, and as, Iran fulfils its
commitments," the fact sheet said.
- License safety-related repairs and inspections inside Iran for certain Iranian airlines.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zar …
Most of the sanctions, Kerry said, would remain in place.
"The approximately $7 billion in relief is a fraction of the costs that
Iran will continue to incur during this first phase under the sanctions
that will remain in place," the White House said. "The vast majority of
Iran's approximately $100 billion in foreign exchange holdings are
inaccessible or restricted."
Kerry and the foreign ministers of
the five other world powers joined the negotiations with Iran early on
Saturday as the two sides appeared to be edging closer to a long-sought
preliminary agreement.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague
said in a Twitter message that it was an "important and encouraging"
first-stage agreement with Iran, whose nuclear program "won't move
forward for 6 months and parts rolled back".
France's Fabius
said: "After years of blockages, the agreement in Geneva on Iran's
nuclear program is an important step to preserving security and peace."
(Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay, Fredrik Dahl, John Irish,
Arshad Mohammed, Louis Charbonneau in Geneva, Katya Golubkova in Moscow,
Isabel Coles in Dubai and Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Writing by Fredrik
Dahl and Jon Hemming; Editing by Peter Cooney and Pravin Char)
