Britain welcomes historic nuclear deal with Iran

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond on Tuesday welcomed the historic Iran nuclear deal announced in Vienna after over a decade of lengthy negotiations.

"After more than a decade of tough negotiations, we have reached an historic agreement that will impose strict limits and inspections on Iran's nuclear program," Hammond said in a statement.

The comprehensive agreement was stricken on Tuesday between Iran and Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States after over two weeks of bargaining talks in Austria's capital Vienna.

The text of the deal specifies key areas of the Iranian nuclear issue, including sanction relief and action plan, nuclear technology cooperation, the committee of the monitoring of the implementation, and capping of Iran's nuclear capacity, and draft of UN Security Council resolution.

"Under the agreement, Iran will grant the International Atomic Energy Agency access to verify adherence to the restrictions placed on its nuclear program, giving the international community confidence that the program is, and will remain, exclusively peaceful," Hammond explained.

"In return, once Iran has taken key steps to introduce these restrictions, the international community will lift some of its sanctions on Iran, delivering significant economic and financial benefits," he added.

Having reached this important agreement, the foreign secretary said, the focus will now be on its "swift and full implementation" to make sure that a nuclear weapon remains beyond Iran's reach.

Highlighting the concern in the region about Iran's "historic pattern of regional activity," he continued: "We will maintain our clear position in support of the Gulf states and against Iranian interference in their internal affairs."

"We hope, and expect, that this agreement will herald a step-change in Iran's relations with its neighbors and with the international community," he said.

Hammond noted that the removal of economic and financial sanctions against Iran over time represents "a huge opportunity" for Iranians to make positive decisions about their country's future and its role in the region.

"We will continue to work closely with our international partners to encourage Iran to play a transparent and constructive role in regional affairs, particularly in the struggle against violent Islamist extremism," said the foreign secretary. Endit