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VIENNA/TEHRAN. — Iran and six major world powers reached a nuclear deal yesterday, capping more than a decade of negotiations with an agreement that could transform the Middle East.

US President Barack Obama hailed a step towards a “more hopeful world”, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said it proved that “constructive engagement works”.

But Israel said it would do what it could to kill a deal that it called an “historic surrender”.

The agreement will now be debated in the US Congress, but Obama said he would veto any measure to block it.

“This deal offers an opportunity to move in a new direction,” Obama said. “We should seize it.”

Iran’s President Rouhani meanwhile said the Islamic Republic achieved all four objectives it was seeking throughout intensive nuclear talks with six world powers.

“We were following four objectives in these negotiations. As part of today’s agreement and under this Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, all the four objectives have been achieved,” Rouhani said in a televised address yesterday after the conclusion of talks between Iran and the P5+1 countries.

He enumerated the objectives as Iran’s ability to go ahead with its nuclear activities, lifting of “cruel and inhumane sanctions,” annulment of all “illegal” sanctions adopted by the UN Security Council against Iran and the withdrawal of Iran’s nuclear dossier from the Security Council.

Rouhani said the sanctions regime imposed on the Islamic Republic was never successful, adding that the bans only targeted the Iranian nation.

He said the nuclear case had played into the hands of those involved in an Iranophobia campaign. The Iranian president added that resistance of the Iranian nation guaranteed their victory in the nuclear talks.

“Today, we are at an important juncture in the history of our country and our (Islamic) Revolution and the situation in the region,” Rouhani said.

He said some powers had had some illusions over the past 12 years regarding Iran, but “a new page has been turned and a new chapter has begun.”

“Iran will honour the agreement, if the other side abides by it,” the Iranian president said, adding that the Iranian nation always keeps its promises.

President Rouhani said there are phases to a final agreement, and today served as the first of those steps, where all parties involved in the negotiations came to terms on the text of an agreement and its annexes. The negotiating partners agreed that the next phase will be within the coming days, he added.

Rouhani said as a result of the talks, all sanctions imposed on Iran including the financial, economic and banking sanctions will be fully lifted and not suspended on the day of implementation of agreement.

The Iranian president said the day of agreement will come when the United States and the European Union clearly announce the lifting of all sanctions.

From that day, President Rouhani added, Iran will begin the implementation of its commitments. — Reuters/Press TV.