News of a nuclear deal with Iran that would lift economic sanctions in return for Tehran’s commitment to significantly curtail its nuclear program was greeted with jubilation in many diplomatic circles, both in Iran and in the West, particularly among diplomats and journalists who have spent years covering the seemingly intractable conflict.
The word “historic,” usually frowned upon as cliché, was rolled out with little hyperbole by diplomats and journalists alike.
Carl Bildt, the former Swedish foreign minister, invoked the naming of a new pope to characterize the historic nature of the deal, calling it “undoubtedly the most important diplomatic achievement for years.”
Negar Mortazavi, an Iranian-American journalist, focused on the talks noted on Twitter that July 14 would now go down in history as a special day in Iran.
The former Iranian ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammad Sadegh Kharazi, was quoted as saying by The Guardian on Twitter that the deal ended the “Cold War” between Iran and the United States.
On the other hand Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the agreement reached on Tuesday by Iran and major world powers on Tehran’s nuclear program as a historic mistake and said he would do what he could to block Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“Iran is going to receive a sure path to nuclear weapons. Many of the restrictions that were supposed to prevent it from getting there will be lifted,” Netanyahu said at the start of a meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders in Jerusalem.
“Iran will get a jackpot, a cash bonanza of hundreds of billions of dollars, which will enable it to continue to pursue its aggression and terror in the region and in the world. This is a bad mistake of historic proportions.”
At the same time, Israel’s deputy foreign minister accused Western powers of surrendering to Iran on Tuesday after diplomats in Vienna said that six world powers had struck a deal with Iran on curbing its nuclear program.
“This deal is a historic surrender by the West to the axis of evil headed by Iran,” Tzipi Hotovely said in a message on Twitter, the first reaction from a senior Israeli official to a deal. “Israel will act with all means to try and stop the agreement being ratified.”
NYT/Agencies
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