U.S., Iran reach historic nuclear framework agreement

Doug Stanglin | USA TODAY

Iran and six world powers reached a historic agreement Thursday on a broad framework for resolving their long-standing dispute over Iran's nuclear program, which has left the Islamic nation economically isolated.

"Today, we have taken a decisive step. We have reached solutions on key parameters for a comprehensive future nuclear deal," European Union Foreign Affairs Minister Federica Mogherini said in formally announcing the deal in Lausanne, Switzerland.

She said Iran would not produce weapons-grade fuel and international monitors will have enhanced access to Iran's nuclear facilities.

She said sanctions would be "terminated" but did not specify the timetable, which has been a sticking point of the negotiations. Iran pushed to lift them immediately, while the United States wants most of them in place until Iran follows through on terms of the deal.The precise timing will be determined as the negotiators work out a final agreement scheduled for completion in June.

President Obama called the deal a "historic understanding" that was "a long time coming."

In the White House Rose Garden, he said the agreement "shuts down" Iran's path to a bomb that would use enriched uranium.

"This deal was not based on trust," the president said. "It was based on unprecedented verification."

A final agreement "will make our country, our allies and our world safer," he said.

Obama: Nuclear deal with Iran not based on trust President Obama called the historic nuclear framework agreement between the United States and Iran "a good deal." In a news conference after the announcement, he outlined six parameters of the framework.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that when Iran implements the measures called for in the agreement, the sanctions would be "terminated." He said that would be "a major step forward."

Like Mogherini, Zarif did not specify a timetable for removing the financial penalties.

Mogherini said Iran's enrichment capacity and stockpiles would be limited for a period of time and there would be no enrichment facilities outside one in Natantz. An enrichment facility built under a mountain in Fordow would be converted into a training and technical center for nuclear research and development.

A new heavy water plant would be built at Arak. Iran could not reprocess plutonium — which could be used in a nuclear weapon — and spent fuel would be exported, she said. The United Nations' nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, would be permitted to use modern technology for verification procedures at Iran's nuclear facilities.

Secretary of State John Kerry said the political understanding reached in the framework talks "is a solid foundation for the good deal that we are seeking."

The agreement came two days after a self-imposed deadline for a deal. Tough talks on the technically complex written agreement are to be wrapped up by June 30.

The White House released some details of Thursday's agreement, and Obama promised to fully inform Congress on the terms. Many lawmakers, skeptical that Iran can be trusted, are weighing new sanctions because of concerns that Iran will try to develop a nuclear weapon in secret. Iran has said its program is solely for peaceful purposes.

The 18 months of nuclear talks pitted Iran against the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany. Iran has insisted it has a sovereign right to develop a peaceful nuclear program. The U.S. goal has been to limit work that could lead to development of a weapon.

5 sticking points of Iran's nuclear deal Here are five major issues at the center of Iran's nuclear deal.

The agreement, as described by a White House statement, calls for stringent international inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities and sanctions until Iran complies with its obligations under the deal. It would achieve Obama's goal of a one-year "breakout" period — the minimum time it would take Iran to produce a nuclear bomb if it reneged on the agreement.

Given the many technical issues involved, reaching a final deal remains a challenge for Obama, who has made the talks on curbing Iran's nuclear program a signature focus of his presidency.

Earlier, Zarif said a draft agreement backed by all participants was the critical last step toward reaching a firm resolution. He said a final negotiated deal "will take hopefully three months to finalize and hopefully less."

The talks in recent weeks have played out against a backdrop of vocal opposition by Republicans in Congress and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called Iran a menace to peace and stability in the Middle East. Free of sanctions and possibly armed with nuclear weapons, Iran would be a potent threat in the region, Netanyahu has warned.

In Israel, Netanyahu said he voiced his "strong opposition" to the framework agreement In a phone conversation with Obama. The prime minister said he warned that a final accord based on the framework "would threaten the survival of Israel," the Associated Press reported.

Netanyahu said the deal would legitimize Iran's nuclear program and increase Iranian "aggression and terror" in the Middle East. He urged the world to increase pressure on Iran until a better deal is achieved, the AP said.