Secretary of State John Kerry and leaders from five other world powers reached a nuclear deal with Iran early Sunday, following intense negotiations that took place over several days in Geneva, NBC News reported. Iran and six of the world's powers – the United States, France, Britain, Germany, China and Russia – agreed on a "first step deal” that is meant to limit advancements in Iran's nuclear program in exchange for easing some of the economic sanctions that have deeply hurt Iran's economy. The deal, which is yet to be signed, stipulates that Iran will commit to halt uranium enrichment above 5 percent and also to neutralize its stockpile of near-20 percent enriched uranium, according to the White House. The Islamic Republic has also committed to halt progress on its enrichment capacity. Iran will also halt work at its plutonium reactor and provide access to nuclear inspectors. These steps, President Barack Obama said late Saturday, will "cut off Iran’s most likely paths to a bomb.” The White House released a fact sheet late Saturday describing the key elements of the agreement with Iran on its nuclear program.
