President Obama comments on the just completed Iran nuclear deal and the diplomacy that brought it about, including the exchange of prisoners.
"This is a good day, because once again we're seeing what's possible with strong American diplomacy," Obama said.
"Yesterday marked a milestone in preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," he said. "Most of important of all, we achieved this historic progress through diplomacy, without resorting to another war in the Middle East."
As part of a side agreement, Iran released five Americans held captive, and Obama agreed to grant clemency to seven Iranians held in the United States. Obama called his use of the constitutional pardon power "a one-time gesture to Iran, given the unique opportunity offered by this moment and the larger circumstances at play."
Obama also announced that the United States and Iran had settled a decades-long dispute regarding Iranian assets frozen during the 1979 Tehran hostage crisis.
