PRESIDENT OBAMA: Because of our diplomatic efforts, the world stood with us and we were joined at the negotiating table by the world's major powers: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, and China, as well as the European Union. Over a year ago, we took the first step toward today's framework with a deal to stop the progress of Iran's nuclear program and roll it back into key areas.

And recall that at the time, skeptics argued Iran would c***t, that we could not verify their compliance, and the interim agreement would fail. Instead, it has succeeded exactly as intended. Iran has met all of its obligations. It eliminated its stockpile of dangerous nuclear material. Inspections of Iran's program increased, and we continued negotiations to see if we could achieve a more comprehensive deal.