Iran and US ease decades of hostility with landmark nuclear deal

Decades of bitter confrontation between Iran and America began to ease on Sunday when the leaders of both countries praised a landmark agreement designed to rein in Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. The two rivals, who have lacked formal diplomatic ties for 34 years, reached a deal at 3am in Geneva on the fifth day of tumultuous negotiations. John Kerry, the US secretary of state, hailed the outcome as a “dramatic” first step that will halt the progress of Iran’s nuclear programme for six months, while a permanent agreement is sought. President Barack Obama hailed the deal as an “important first step”, saying it “opened up a new path toward a world that is more secure - a future in which we can verify that Iran’s nuclear programme is peaceful and that it cannot build a nuclear weapon”. For his part, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, wrote a letter of congratulation to President Hassan Rouhani, praising the agreement as the “basis for further intelligent actions”, adding: “Without a doubt the grace of God and the prayers of the Iranian nation were a factor in this success.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/10471499/Iran-and-US-ease-decades-of-hostility-with-landmark-nuclear-deal.html


The European Union will probably lift some sanctions on Iran in December, as part of a hard-won deal that curbs Tehran's nuclear programme, France's foreign minister has said. Speaking on Europe 1 radio, Laurent Fabius said that EU foreign ministers would gather together in "a few weeks" to put forward a proposal partially to lift some sanctions. "This lifting of sanctions is limited, targeted and reversible," he said, adding that it would take place "in December". Mr Fabius also said Israel - which called Sunday's agreement a "historic mistake" - was not likely to launch any preventative strikes on arch-foe Iran, "because no one would understand" such a move "at this stage." Decades of bitter confrontation between Iran and America began to ease on Sunday when the leaders of both countries praised a landmark agreement designed to rein in Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/10472218/Iran-nuclear-deal-EU-will-lift-sanctions-in-coming-weeks.html