Rouhani: Iran will no longer be called a world threat

The nuclear deal with world powers is a political victory for Iran, President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday, adding that the agreement meant Tehran would no longer be regarded as an international threat.

“No one can say Iran surrendered,” Rouhani told a cabinet meeting broadcast on state television. “The deal is a legal, technical and political victory for Iran. It’s an achievement that Iran won’t be called a world threat any more.”

Iran and six world powers reached a deal on Tuesday, capping more than a decade of negotiations with an agreement that could transform the Middle East.

Under the deal, sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union and the United Nations will be lifted in return for Iran agreeing long-term curbs on a nuclear programme that the West has suspected was aimed at creating a nuclear bomb.

“No deal is perfect. There should be always compromise,” Rouhani said in his remarks to cabinet ministers.

“It was really difficult to preserve some of our red lines. There was a time we doubted there could be a deal. It’s a historic deal and Iranians will be proud of it for generations to come.”

Among Iran’s main conditions, or “red lines”, at the talks were a refusal to accept a long freeze on nuclear research and development and a demand for a rapid lifting of sanctions.