While much of the world welcomed the news that Iran and the six major world powers reached an agreement on a path towards negotiating an end to Tehran’s drive for nuclear weapons, there was one notable – and hardly unexpected – wet blanket.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has voiced his “strong opposition”.

After representatives announced the framework at a hastily called photo op in Lausanne, Switzerland, US President Barack Obama called congressional leaders and allies not taking part in the negotiations to fill in the details.  In the phone conversation to Israel, Netanyahu said the agreement would legitimize Iran’s nuclear program and increase Iranian “aggression and terror”, and “would threaten the survival of Israel”.

Mr. Obama disagrees, as do the UK, France, Russia, China, Germany, and the European Union, which all forged the deal with Iran.  Economic sanctions on Iran would be lifted one by one as Iran accomplishes the key points.

They include:  Converting an underground nuclear facility into a physics and technology center with no fissile material; ending uranium enrichment; drastically reducing stocks of enriched uranium; and redesigning a heavy water reactor so that it can’t produce plutonium.  All of this and more would be verified through unprecedented International Atomic Energy Agency inspections.

“If Iran cheats, the world will know it.  If we see something suspicious, we will inspect it,” President Obama said.  “With this deal, Iran will face more inspections than any other country in the world.”

In Iran, there is jubilation with street celebrations lasting well into the night.

The agreement reached in Switzerland comes after years of preparation and eight straight days of tough negotiations, and sets the stage for even more intense and technically specific talks to reach a final agreement by 30 June.