Iran, Western Powers Reach Historic Nuclear Arms Deal

The United States announced Tuesday that after two years of negotiations, western powers and Iran have reached an historical nuclear weapons agreement.

The deal will curb the Middle Eastern country's nuclear weapon program in exchange for a lifting of economic sanctions that amass to billions of dollars.

In a statement on Tuesday, President Barack Obama said that "Today, after two years of negotiations, the United States together with the international community has achieved something that decades of animosity has not: a comprehensive long-term deal with Iran that will prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon."

"This deal offers an opportunity to move in a new direction," the president continued, adding "We should seize it."

"We are reaching an agreement that is not perfect for anybody but it is what we could accomplish and it is an important achievement for all of us," the president added. "Today could have been the end of hope on this issue but now we are starting a new chapter of hope."

Following Obama's address, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani praised the deal, saying that the Middle Eastern country's "prayers have come true."

"Negotiators have reached a good agreement and I announce to our people that our prayers have come true," Rouhani said in a live statement.

Obama added that the deal is "not built on trust, It is built on verification," assuring allies like Israel that the United States will re-implement its strict economic sanctions on Iran if it violates the rules of the new agreement to stop nuclear weapons production.