TEHRAN: A crowd of well-wishers hailed Iranian negotiators on Friday as they returned to Tehran after agreeing the framework of a potentially historic nuclear deal with world powers, Iranian news agencies reported.
Several dozen people greeted Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his team as they left Tehran's Mehr Abad airport after returning from the negotiations in Lausanne, the ISNA news agency reported.
"Viva Zarif! Viva Araghchi!" the crowd chanted, in reference to the minister and top negotiator Abbas Araghchi.
In brief remarks at the airport, Zarif praised Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for "his remarkable support for the negotiating team and his guidance" in the talks, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Reaching out to Iranian hardliners who have opposed any deal that would curb Tehran's nuclear activities, Zarif said work remained to finalise the agreement before a June 30 deadline.
"This set of solutions will be the basis for writing a final document," he said in the airport.
Residents lined the streets as Zarif drove away from the airport, many carrying Iranian flags, with the minister emerging from the sunroof of his car and waving to the crowd.
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