On November 24, 2013 Secretary of State John Kerry announced a deal had been reached with Iran over its nuclear program on the popular Sunday talk show “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos.
The core of the deal is a freeze on Iran’s nuclear program, specifically its uranium enrichment program in exchange for a relaxation of the economic sanctions that have literally strangled the Iranian economy.
It will also lead to a lifting of sanctions against Iran currently imposed by the United States and European Union within six months, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov affirmed.
“This is a call to strengthen trust and allow our partners from the US and EU to relax the pressure of sanctions that they brought in against Iran, introduced unilaterally, without a decision of the Security Council,” he said. “We have never recognized these sanctions and it’s probably right to get rid of these unilateral sanctions in order to relax this strain on Iran”, according to a report in the Russian media (source: Iran strikes last minute nuclear deal with group of six http://en.ria.ru/world/20131124/184925860/Iran-Strikes-Last-Minute-Nuclear-Deal-With-Group-of-Six.html).
In exchange the Iranian agree not to develop a nuclear weapon yet, at the same time allows Iran the right to seek nuclear power for peaceful purposes.
Iran however will not be allowed to enrich uranium in excess of five percent purity, a level that is suitable for use in power plants, but not the 20% level needed for weapons grade uranium.
It should be noted that “Iran currently holds up to 200 kg (440 pounds) of 20-percent enriched uranium”, Kerry said. Within six months, under the deal, Iran “will not hold a single kilo of that uranium,” Kerry said (source: Uranium enrichment at heart of nuclear disputes http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/uranium-enrichment-heart-nuclear-disputes-20978153).
For Iran this is an extremely good deal.
It must be understood that Iran was never seeking a nuclear weapon in the first place.
Iran never wanted a nuclear weapon and repeatedly affirmed that it was not interested in seeking to acquire or develop a nuclear weapon.
See “fatwa” against nuclear weapons http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95HuFUiAEig
Iran will receive from the United States an immediate relief of sanctions worth around $6 billion in unfrozen oil revenue assets, according to US media sources.
Iran will also receive potential access to $1.5 billion in revenue from trade in gold and precious metals, and permission to transfer $4.2 billion of revenue from its oil sales across borders.
In a deal worth in excess of $7 billion when its all said and done.
Israel and Saudi Arabia still oppose any deal which would reduce economic sanctions on the Iranian regime (see video: Netanyahu asks for US supporters to oppose deal with Iran http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrCIZqHB0sM).
See related video: US hails the deal with Iran http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIQrNiSHCFA
Meanwhile Iran’s currency jumped more than 3 percent against the US dollar on Sunday as news of a deal raised hopes that the economy would start recovering from international sanctions – which is good news for the Iranian people (source: Iran’s rial jumps as nuclear deal fuels economy hopes http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Irans-rial-jumps-as-nuclear-deal-fuels-economy-hopes-332851).