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World powers and Iran close in on nuclear agreement

Iran's words of appeasement hailed as a breakthrough
World powers and Iran close in on nuclear agreement

Picture: Christian Science Monitor

Published: January 13, 2014 04:11 AM GMT
Updated: January 12, 2014 04:27 PM GMT

US officials Sunday welcomed the report that Iran and six world powers have agreed on how to implement a deal involving Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

The agreement, which came together in November, will temporarily freeze Iran’s nuclear program, in return for which Iran will gain access to $4.2 billion in restricted assets, released in regular installments throughout the six months and easing the impact of international economic sanctions.

As announced Sunday, first in Tehran and then in other world capitals, the deal now is set to begin being implemented Jan. 20.

Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency reported Sunday that under the terms of the deal, Iran will guarantee that it won't try to attain nuclear arms "under any circumstance."

In a statement Sunday, President Obama said he has “no illusions about how hard it will be to achieve this objective.”

But he noted that the agreement “marks the first time in a decade that the Islamic Republic of Iran has agreed to specific actions that halt progress on its nuclear program and roll back key parts of the program.” This includes not installing or starting up additional centrifuges or using next-generation centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium.

In a separate statement, Secretary of State John Kerry said further negotiations "represent the best chance we have to resolve this critical national security issue peacefully, and durably."

Secretary Kerry also touched on a major political challenge for the Obama administration going forward:

“I very much appreciate Congress’ critical role in imposing the sanctions that brought Iran to the table, but I feel just as strongly that now is not the time to impose additional sanctions that could threaten the entire negotiating process,” Kerry said. “Now is not the time for politics.”

Full Story:Date set to begin Iran nuclear deal 

Source:Christian Science Monitor

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