Iran nuclear deal: Breaking down the good, bad and ugly

Read Time:1 Minute, 30 Second

The deal reached with world powers and Iran over the Islamic republic's nuclear program is cast by supporters as a historic treaty, while critics, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, call it a "historic mistake."

How both sides see the deal:

The Good:

•It "temporarily freezes" Tehran's nuclear program.

•Iran must convert or dilute its fuel stocks that are closest to weapons grade, lengthening the breakout time Iran would need to make fissile material for a nuclear bomb.

•The West has not recognized Iran's self-claimed "right" to enrich uranium.

•The deal paves the way for more negotiations to further curtail Iran's nuclear activity and other issues such as its sponsoring of terror.

•Iran vows not to operate its planned plutonium reactor for six months.

•The agreement allows for more "intrusive" U.N. nuclear inspections in Iran.

The Bad:

•Enrichment is capped but not frozen or rolled back, leaving Iran close to a breakout for a bomb.

•The deal allows Iran to claim the West has accepted its "right" to enrich uranium.

•Uranium enrichment capabilities are not dismantled, as had been demanded by U.N. resolutions.

•The agreement eases sanctions that cannot be reversed easily because of the difficulty in getting competing nations to agree.

•Iran's plutonium reactor will not be operational for at least a one year, so suspending operation for six months is meaningless.

The Ugly:

•The deal legitimizes Iran's status as a nuclear threshold state, which could set off a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.