(AGI) Rome, July 14 - After nine years of negotiations,postponements, and marathon nighttime discussions, Iran and theP5+1 finally reached an agreement on the Islamic Republic'snuclear program on Tuesday in Vienna. It was hailed as a"historic day" and a "new chapter" in international relationsby the High Representative of the EU for Foreign PolicyFederica Mogherini. "What we are announcing today is not only adeal but a good deal," she said in a joint press conferencewith Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Theagreement "will positively contribute to regional andinternational peace and security", she affirmed. "We arereaching an agreement that is not perfect for anybody but it iswhat we could accomplish and it is an important achievement forall of us," Zarif said, expressing great satisfaction for the"new chapter of hope" that Iran and the West can build on.Israel reacted to the news furiously, with Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu denouncing the deal as a "historic mistakefor the world". "Israel is not bound by this deal with Iranbecause Iran continues to seek our destruction. We will alwaysdefend ourselves," he said. U.S. President Barack Obama movedswiftly to reassure his nation and its allies that the deal is"not built on trust, it is built on verification". "Put simply,the organization responsible for the inspections, the IAEA,will have access where necessary, when necessary," he stated,adding that all the sanctions that have been imposed on Iran sofar will "snap back into place" if the deal is violated. Obamawill speak with Israel and Saudi Arabia soon, as both U.S.allies are fiercely opposed to the agreement. The ball is nowin the court of the U.S. Congress, where the Republican Partyholds the majority. Obama, however, has already warned that hewill "veto any legislation that prevents the successfulimplementation of this deal". In a televised address to thenation, Iran's President Hassan Rohani assured that "this is areciprocal deal: if they stick to it, we will". "We didn't askfor charity. We asked for fair, just and win-win negotiations,"he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the world cannow breathe a "huge sigh of relief". There is widespread hopethat the deal will have positive consequences in the MiddleEast as a whole. Speaking from Beirut, Italian Foreign MinisterPaolo Gentiloni said it could lead to "Tehran's involvement inother crises and the fight against ISIS", while FrenchPresident Francois Hollande asked Iran to collaborate inquelling the Syrian conflict as a sign of goodwill. (AGI). .