The P5+1 (the United States, United Kingdom, Germany,
France, Russia, and China, facilitated by the European Union) has been
engaged in serious and substantive negotiations with Iran with the goal
of reaching a verifiable diplomatic resolution that would prevent Iran
from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
President Obama has been clear that achieving a peaceful
resolution that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is in
America’s national security interest. Today, the P5+1 and Iran reached a
set of initial understandings that halts the progress of Iran's nuclear
program and rolls it back in key respects. These are the first
meaningful limits that Iran has accepted on its nuclear program in close
to a decade. The initial, six month step includes significant limits
on Iran's nuclear program and begins to address our most urgent concerns
including Iran’s enrichment capabilities; its existing stockpiles of
enriched uranium; the number and capabilities of its centrifuges; and
its ability to produce weapons-grade plutonium using the Arak reactor.
The concessions Iran has committed to make as part of this first step
will also provide us with increased transparency and intrusive
monitoring of its nuclear program. In the past, the concern has been
expressed that Iran will use negotiations to buy time to advance their
program. Taken together, these first step measures will help prevent
Iran from using the cover of negotiations to continue advancing its
nuclear program as we seek to negotiate a long-term, comprehensive
solution that addresses all of the international community's concerns.
In return, as part of this initial step, the P5+1 will
provide limited, temporary, targeted, and reversible relief to Iran.
This relief is structured so that the overwhelming majority of the
sanctions regime, including the key oil, banking, and financial
sanctions architecture, remains in place. The P5+1 will continue to
enforce these sanctions vigorously. If Iran fails to meet its
commitments, we will revoke the limited relief and impose additional
sanctions on Iran.
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