Secretary of State John Kerry helped engineer an interim deal with Iran, an agreement that has been called "the most significant level of cooperation between the U.S. and [their counterparts] in decades," CNN reported.
"We believe very strongly that because the Iranian nuclear program is actually set backwards and is actually locked into place in critical places, that that is better for Israel than if you were just continuing to go down the road and they rush towards a nuclear weapon," Kerry said on CNN.
The secretary of state held a press briefing at 2 a.m. on Sunday in Geneva, minutes after the deal was announced.
Under the terms of the six-month interim agreement, Iran's isolated regime "committed to capping certain uranium enrichment levels, stopping the use of its centrifuges that enrich uranium and providing access to its nuclear sites to inspectors. The pact is designed to pave the way for a broader, longer-term agreement to scale back the mullahs' nuclear quest," reported The New York Daily News.
Secret talks between the U.S. and Iran took place without the knowledge of Israel and Arab countries like Saudi Arabia. The U.S. delegation who held the secret talks in the past few months were led by Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns and Under-Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman in Oman, according to NBC's Andrea Mitchell.
Officials from Israel share concerns with the Saudis, fearing that the interim deal lets Iran "off the hook" too easily. Opponents against the deal believe the hegemony in the region may sway toward the Iranians, a dangerous precedent.
Washington lawmakers also criticized the deal.
"The disproportionality of this agreement makes it more likely that Democrats and Republicans will join together and pass additional sanctions when we return in December," said Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat.
Iran has used proxy groups, like Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad to wage terrorist attacks against Israel.
