The Geneva conference Iran and the Europeans and the Americans reach an agreement

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Iran Nuclear Deal Reached At Talks In Geneva

Israel's Prime Minister criticises the development as an "historic mistake" and reserves his country's right to defend itself.6:09pm UK, Sunday 24 November 2013

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Video: Iran Nuclear Deal Agreed In Geneva

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An agreement has been reached between Iran and six world powers to curb Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for limited sanctions relief.

 

The deal, announced by European Union policy chief Catherine Ashton, is a first step towards resolving a decade-old stand-off between Tehran and the West.

 

The agreement between the Islamic state and the US, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia was nailed down after more than four days of negotiations in Geneva.

 

US President Barack Obama said it was an important first step towards a comprehensive solution to Iran's nuclear programme.

 

William Hague is in Geneva for talks with foreign leaders over Iran.

William Hague hailed the agreement as 'very important and encouraging'

He said Iran could not use its next-generation centrifuges under the deal and the limitations under the agreement "cut off Iran's most likely paths to a bomb".

 

He added that if Iran did not meet its commitments during a six-month period, the US would turn off sanctions relief and "ratchet up the pressure".

 

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the nuclear deal as an "historic mistake" and reserved his country's right to defend itself.

 

"Today the world became a much more dangerous place because the most dangerous regime in the world made a significant step in obtaining the most dangerous weapons in the world," he said.

 

US Secretary of State Kerry shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif after a ceremony at the United Nations in Geneva

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran's Mohammed Javad Zarif

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the agreement recognises Tehran's "rights" to maintain a nuclear programme, and it would "never" seek atomic weapons.

 

The country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said: "This can be the basis for further intelligent actions. Without a doubt the grace of God and the prayers of the Iranian nation were a factor in this success."

 

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron said the deal leaves Tehran further from getting a nuclear weapon and "demonstrates how persistent diplomacy and tough sanctions can together help us to advance our national interest".

 

Foreign Secretary William Hague said the agreement was "very important and encouraging", adding that it meant "the nuclear programme won't move forward for six months".

 

However, he acknowledged that "legitimate concerns" remained.

 

He and US Secretary of State John Kerry are holding talks in London today on the Iran deal and the latest developments in Syria.

 

Speaking in London, Mr Kerry said: "This could not have happened if our friends had not come together to create sanctions and force sanctions and to press this agreement.

 

"Now the really hard part begins; the effort to get the comprehensive agreement in terms of verification, transparency and accountability.

 

"We are determined to work together. We will start today to congtinue the efforts out of Geneva. President Obama could not be more grateful for David Cameron's support."

 

European Union foreign policy chief Ashton smiles next to Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif during a ceremony at the United Nations in Geneva

European Union policy chief Baroness Catherine Ashton and Javad Zarif

Mr Kerry offered assurances to Israel over the nuclear agreement, saying it would make the Jewish state safer over the next six months because the world would have "insights" into Iran's nuclear programme.

 

Speaking on Iran's Press TV, Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the deal was an opportunity for the West to restore trust with the Iranian nation.

 

He said Tehran would expand co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, to address what he called some concerns.

 

Iran will get access to $4.2bn (£2.6bn) in foreign exchange as part of the accord, a Western diplomat said.

 

A senior US official added that the agreement halted progress on Iran's nuclear programme, including construction of the Arak research reactor.

 

It would neutralise Iran's stockpile of uranium refined to a fissile concentration of 20%, which is a close step away from the level needed for weapons, and calls for intrusive UN nuclear inspections.

 

Iran has also committed to stop uranium enrichment above a fissile purity of 5%, a US fact sheet said.

 

The deal has no recognition of an Iranian right to enrich uranium and sanctions would still be enforced.

 

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.

 

The deal has sparked fears in Israel, said Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sam Kiley.

 

"Israel's economy minister Naftali Bennett has said this deal could result in the use of suitcase nuclear devices five years down the line. It could be traced to this historic moment," he said.

 

"What they're really saying is that the international community, the world's diplomats, have been suckered by Iran in the same way that the international community was successfully suckered, let's face it, by the North Koreans who agreed to a similar deal to downscale their nuclear programme, and after a few months went by actually demonstrated that they had developed a nuclear weapon in secret.

 

"That is precisely what worries the Israelis."

 

Diplomacy was stepped up after the landslide election of Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, as Iranian president in June, replacing nationalist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

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Israeli PM Netanyahu: Iran nuclear deal 'historic mistake'

 

By David Simpson and Josh Levs, CNN

November 24, 2013 -- Updated 2113 GMT (0513 HKT)

Watch this video

Netanyahu: Deal is 'historic mistake'

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

NEW: Spokesman: "Israel always reserves the right ... to defend ourselves"

The deal makes the world "a much more dangerous place," Netanyahu says

"You are not our enemies," Israel's president tells Iranian people

Last week, Iran's supreme leader said Israeli officials "cannot be even called humans"

(CNN) -- [breaking news update at 4:12 p.m. Sunday]

U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Sunday about the Iran nuclear deal, White House Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest said. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One as Obama traveled to Seattle, Earnest said the two leaders had a "useful discussion" for about a half hour.

[Original story, posted at 12 p.m. Sunday]

Israeli PM Netanyahu: Iran nuclear deal 'historic mistake'

(CNN) -- While the EU and the United States cheered a deal that world powers reached with Tehran over its nuclear ambitions, Israel was fierce in its criticism Sunday.

"What was concluded in Geneva last night is not a historic agreement, it's a historic mistake," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters. "It's not made the world a safer place. Like the agreement with North Korea in 2005, this agreement has made the world a much more dangerous place."

"For years the international community has demanded that Iran cease all uranium enrichment. Now, for the first time, the international community has formally consented that Iran continue its enrichment of uranium."

Washington said the changes called for in the agreement will make Iran less of a threat to Israel.

"We believe very strongly that because the Iranian nuclear program is actually set backwards and is actually locked into place in critical places, that that is better for Israel than if you were just continuing to go down the road and they rush towards a nuclear weapon," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told CNN's "State of the Union."

Netanyahu disagreed.

Kerry comments on Iran deal Obama reacts to Iran nuclear deal Iran happy with 'first step' Reaction to deal in Tehran

The deal, Netanyahu argued, leaves Iran "taking only cosmetic steps which it could reverse easily within a few weeks, and in return, sanctions that took years to put in place are going to be eased."

"This first step could very well be the last step," he said.

"Without continued pressure, what incentive does the Iranian regime have to take serious steps that actually dismantle its nuclear weapons capability?"

Mark Regev, a spokesman for Netanyahu, said easing pressure will remove any motivation for Iran's leaders to make difficult decisions.

"It's like having a small hole in your tire, a small hole in the sanctions regime," he said. "In the end, like with your tire, you'll get a flat."

Kerry: 'Very little relief' for Iran

Kerry argued the sanctions part of the agreement is hardly a boost for Iran.

"There is very little relief. We are convinced over the next few months, we will really be able to put to the test what Iran's intentions are," Kerry told CNN chief political correspondent Candy Crowley.

The deal says that the U.S. will provide $6 billion to $7 billion in sanction relief -- just a drop in the bucket compared to the roughly $100 billion in foreign exchange holdings that are inaccessible to Iran because of sanctions, the White House says.

Iran insists its nuclear program is purely for civilian purposes, with no long-term goal of developing a nuclear weapons arsenal.

But such assurances haven't quelled sharp skepticism from Israel.

"If in five years, a nuclear suitcase explodes in New York or Madrid," said Naftali Bennett, the Israeli minister of trade and industry, "it will be because of the agreement that was signed this morning."

Shimon Peres, Israel's president, sounded a different note.

"This is an interim deal. The success or failure of the deal will be judged by results, not by words," Peres said in a statement.

"I would like to say to the Iranian people: You are not our enemies, and we are not yours. There is a possibility to solve this issue diplomatically. It is in your hands. Reject terrorism. Stop the nuclear program. Stop the development of long-range missiles. Israel, like others in the international community, prefers a diplomatic solution.

"But I want to remind everyone of what President Obama said, and what I have personally heard from other leaders. The international community will not tolerate a nuclear Iran. And if the diplomatic path fails, the nuclear option will be prevented by other means. The alternative is far worse."

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READ: World powers strike historic deal on Iran's nuclear program

Spokesman: Israel reserves the right to defend itself

To be sure, there is no love lost between Iran and Israel.

Iran, which in the past has questioned Israel's right to even exist, continues to push Tel Aviv's buttons with incendiary statements.

Israel, which says it has the most to lose if Iran develops a nuclear bomb, has repeatedly warned the West to tread warily when dealing with Tehran.

READ: White House releases deal details

Iran deal 'important step forward' Iran nuclear deal reached

Photos: Iran nuclear deal reached Photos: Iran nuclear deal reached

So finding that their greatest ally, the United States, has struck an interim deal with Iran brought condemnation from Israeli lawmakers.

"Israel cannot participate in the international celebration, which is based on Iranian deception and the world self-delusion," said Yuval Steinitz, minister of strategic and intelligence affairs responsible for international relations, and a member of the Knesset.

Lawmakers stopped short of saying whether Israel would go it alone militarily, if the need arose.

But Israeli officials told CNN's Ian Lee they would not rule out a strike against Iran -- and Netanyahu certainly didn't mince words.

In a written statement, he said Israel "is not obliged to the agreement."

"The regime in Iran is dedicated to destroying Israel and Israel has the right and obligation to defend itself with its own forces against every threat," he said. "I want to make clear as the prime minister of Israel, Israel will not let Iran develop a nuclear military capability."

Israel bombed a reactor construction site in Iraq in 1981.

Asked by CNN's Wolf Blitzer about the possibility of an Israeli airstrike on Iran's nuclear facilities in the next six months, Netanyahu's spokesman didn't rule out that option.

"We, of course, would like to see a diplomatic solution. We'd like to see a peaceful dismantling of the Iranian nuclear program. If that can be achieved, that's obviously preferable," Regev said. "But Israel always reserves the right ... to defend ourselves, by ourselves, against possible threats."

Obama to call Netanyahu

The heightened rhetoric means Obama has his work cut out for him in appeasing a close U.S. ally.

"You can be sure that President Obama will speak to Prime Minister Netanyahu" on Sunday, a senior administration official told reporters.

"Ultimately, we understand why Israel is particularly skeptical about Iran," the official said, adding, "This is not simply about trusting the Iranian government. There are strict verification measures."

Kerry said as the deal was announced in Geneva that Israel and the United States agree that Iran must not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.

But Kerry said none of the world powers represented in Geneva believe that unrelenting sanctions can achieve that goal. He said the deal will make Israel safer by freezing some Iranian nuclear development and removing its stockpile of uranium enriched to 20% purity.

Kerry also said military action, while still an option Obama would preserve, could not permanently solve the problem.

Israeli leaders 'sleep with one eye open'

It's hard for most Americans to understand why all Israeli prime ministers are said to sleep with one eye open, said Aaron David Miller of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He was a Middle East negotiator in Democratic and Republican administrations.

America, he says, has "nonpredatory neighbors to its north and south and fish to its east and west."

Israel, on the other hand, is a small Jewish state surrounded by antagonistic Muslim neighbors.

Israel cannot participate in the international celebration, which is based on Iranian deception and the world self-delusion.

Israeli intelligence minister

"I don't think Iran wants nuclear weapons to launch a first strike against Israel. But it's impossible to ignore, let alone trivialize, Israeli security concerns and vulnerabilities in this regard, particularly in the face of Iran's rhetoric, regional ambitions and support for terrorism over the years," he said.

Indeed, the verbal attacks have been relentless.

Even as the P5+1 met in Geneva, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei unleashed another volley last week in Tehran.

Khamenei said Israeli officials "cannot be even called humans" and referred to Netanyahu as "the rabid dog of the region."

When Iranian President Hassan Rouhani described the deal on Sunday, widows and children of slain Iranian nuclear scientists stood nearby as he addressed them in his speech.

Iranian officials have long accused Israel of planting bombs under the scientists' cars, and analysts have argued that's a likely scenario.

Israel generally refuses to comment on accusations and speculation. After one such attack killed an Iranian scientist last year, Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai said in a Facebook post that he didn't know who'd targeted the scientist.

"But I certainly didn't shed a tear," he said.

Once a 'honeymoon'

What is often forgotten in this tense relationship is that it wasn't always this way.

After the birth of the nation of Israel in 1948, it and Iran enjoyed a "honeymoon" that lasted until just before the 1979 Islamic revolution, David Menashri, professor emeritus of Tel Aviv University, told CNN last year.

Israel's ties with Iran were chiefly motivated by "a single word with three letters -- O-I-L," he said.

But the Islamic revolution that overthrew the Shah of Iran marked a turning point.

The Islamic Republic, led by Shiite clerics in the predominantly Shiite nation, saw Israel as an illegitimate state with no right to exist, certainly not amid Muslim nations.

Despite harsh rhetoric, though, then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini "didn't want to get into a confrontation with Israel," said Ervand Abrahamian, a professor of Iranian and Middle Eastern history at Baruch College of the City University of New York.

One reason: Israel and Iran had a common enemy in Iraq, a country that fought an eight-year war with Iran. Israel even supplied weapons to Iran to help it fight.

In the years after the Iran-Iraq war, however, Israel began to regard Iran and its support of global terror as a chief threat.

And it watched uneasily as Iran has gained influence in the Middle East since the first Gulf War began eroding Iraq's power.

Those concerns escalated when international inspectors found traces of highly enriched uranium at a power plant in Iran in 2003.

In the escalating conflict, the United States has always said, in the words of Obama last year, that it has "Israel's back."

"The United States has no stake in concluding an agreement with Iran that leaves Israel angry, aggrieved and vulnerable. So, the two sides will find a way to work this through," Miller said. "But for now, buckle your seat belts. We could be in for one bumpy ride.