Iran Nuclear Deal: Cheering Crowds Greet Zarif in Tehran

Iran’s top diplomat was given a hero’s welcome by a jubilant crowd Friday after reaching a framework nuclear deal that could ease crippling sanctions.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was cheered as he landed in Tehran on a flight from Switzerland, where the U.S., China and European powers announced a deal meant to block Iran from developing nuclear weapon.

In Tehran, residents took to the streets late Thursday, waving flags from cars to celebrate the outline agreement, which sets the stage for work on a final accord over the next three months.

“We are very happy, so happy. We haven't make any big progress in 10 years, we are very happy that we can finally go forward," a local resident named Musa said. "It's a real victory for us."

Another Tehran resident, Mina, added: “I'm so happy when seeing the cheerful crowds around me. We can finally step out of those pressures. You can see Iranians are friendly, and we have a long history. We are not against of any country in the world.”

Before taking off from Geneva, Zarif was pictured on his official plane being greeted and posing for photos with traveling reporters.

Diplomats involved in the talks have spent 18 months in broader negotiations that had to be extended twice due to an inability to bridge wide gaps in positions since they reached an interim accord in November 2013.

After marathon talks in Lausanne, Iran agreed on limits on its program on uranium and plutonium development — two means of building a nuclear bomb. It also agreed to accept international inspections on its nuclear facilitates.

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