Israeli President Shimon Peres. Photo: WikiCommons

Israeli President Shimon Peres on Sunday said that “the success or failure” of the interim deal reached overnight with Iran in Geneva “will be judged by results, not by words.”

“I would like to say to the Iranian people: You are not our enemies and we are not yours. There is a possibility to solve this issue diplomatically. It is in your hands,” the Israeli president said, in a statement. “Reject terrorism. Stop the nuclear program. Stop the development of long-range missiles.”

“Israel, like others in the international community, prefers a diplomatic solution. But I want to remind everyone of what President Obama said, and what I have personally heard from other leaders. The international community will not tolerate a nuclear Iran.”

“And if the diplomatic path fails, the nuclear option will be prevented by other means,” he said. “The alternative is far worse.”

A few hours before dawn Geneva time on Sunday morning, the world powers presented a deal that would “suspend sanctions” against Iran, allow the Islamic Republic to access billions of dollars in international funds now locked away in foreign banks, resume more regular trading of oil and metals and receive parts for its automotive and civilian air industries.

In exchange, Iran agreed to allow access by the International Atomic Energy Agency to its nuclear labs, including its hidden cache of centrifuges, pause uranium enrichment above 5%, and work on reactors and other nuclear assets for the next six months, as a final agreement is negotiated.

Speaking on national television, U.S. President Barack Obama said that failure by Iran to observe any of the rules over the next six months would result in renewed sanctions, harsher than the framework currently in place.