Iran and world powers reach a deal

Iran and the world powers have reached a deal in Geneva on Tehran’s nuclear program; Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif confirmed. A senior US official said according to the deal Iran will halt its nuclear activities including the heavy water reactor which is still under construction near Arak.

An American document revealed that Iran will reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium by twenty percent and will stop enriching uranium beyond five percent; the level at which it can be used for weapons research. Several delegations’ members participating in the Geneva talks said the agreement provides to reduce Iran’s nuclear program in exchange of a limited sanctions relief worth seven billion US dollars on sectors including precious metals. Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif insisted that Iran did not give up its right to enrich uranium saying “We believe that the current agreement, the current plan of action as we call it, in two distinct places has a very clear reference to the fact that Iranian enrichment programme will continue and will be a part of any agreement, now and in the future”.

US President Barack Obama warned that if Iran did not comply with the terms of the agreement within the pre-conditioned six months timeline; his country “will turn off the relief and ratchet up the pressure”. Obama said at a news conference in Washington after the conclusion of the deal in Geneva that he was aware of Gulf States and Israel doubts regarding the deal.

The White House confirmed that the agreement eases sanctions on Iran in the form of commercial exchange.