>> ground-breaking... >> they're firing canisters of gas at us. >> emmy award-winning, investigative series. >> we have to get out of here. this deal demonstrates that american diplomacy can bring about real and meaningful change. >> after years of frustrating negotiation, an agreement on iran's nuclear programme. >> this moment has come. we have worked very hard to get here. >> now the deal goes before a skeptical congress. >> is it as bad a deal. we can do everything to stop it.

>> tonight, iran go inside the deal good evening, i'm antonio mora this is al jazeera. we begin the hour with an historic nuclear agreement between iran and six world powers. the deal curbs nuclear capabilities for more than a decade. in return western powers will lift oil sanctions against iran. the news sparked celebrations across the capital. thousands took to the streets. people danced waved victory signs and honged horns in their cars. a rehabilitation in the u.s. has been different. jamie mcintyre joins us from washington. the fight is beginning on capitol hill. >> that's right. president obama wasted no time trying to make the sale beginning with remarks at

7 o'clock this morning washington time. and described the deal as not just a significant effort to teen iran from getting nuclear weapons, but a turning point in u.s.-iranian relations. >> reporter: president obama hailed the agreement as a trim um of in negotiations. >> tough talk from washington does not solve problems. hard nose diplomacy, leadership that united the world's major powers offers a more effective way to verify iran it not pursuing nuclear weapons hassan rouhani waited until president obama stopped speaking before taking to the airwaves himself saying it marked a new time of diplomacy. >> translation: the relations between us today has a new beginning.

we would like more affinity unity and extended relations with you. >> reporter: for almost a decade, on again, off again talks began. tehran insisted its nuclear programme was for peaceful demonstrations. a breakthrough came two years ago when hassan rouhani was elected president and declared that hassan rouhani was ready to compromise. president obama talked to hassan rouhani by phone. the first top-level exchange since the hostage crisis after the iranian revolution in 1979. even as president obama said the u.s. should cease the opportunity to move in a new direction. he said they harbored no illusions dealing with the country. >> that means this deal is not built on trust, it's built on verification. inspectors will have 24/7 access to iran's key nuclear

facilities. >> in vienna secretary of state john kerry the primary architect says iran doesn't get anything until it shows its living up to its word. >> that is why none of the actions in place will be lifted until iran implements the commitments that it made. in some restrictions including those related to arms and proliferation will remain in place for some years to come. >> the text of the bill goes to capitol hill about 150 or so pages of is to be reviewed by congress, who will have 60 days to give it a thumbs up or thun. they'd have to have enough votes to override the veto. >> the republican candidates for president had a field day with this today. and there is a serious backlash from republicans in congress. it will be a duff sell for president obama. >> you would be hard pressed in

washington to find a single republican with anything nice to say about the deal. they not some said it was a bad deal, most said it was like the worst deal ever. here is a sample. >> we will fight hard to reject this deal using every tool we have. >> this is it considerably short of perfection apparently. >> it will hand a dangerous regime billions in sanctions release, while paving the way for a nuclear iran. >> i think it's safe to say president obama will probably get vow republican votes. the thing he has to worry about is losing democratic votes. as long as they have the democrats on board, they will not have enough votes. if they lose democrats, it could be trouble. some come out against it. not many. >> jamie mcintyre at the pentagon. good to have you with us. >> israeli leaders blasted the agreement. prime minister binyamin netanyahu said it will put iran

on a sure path to nuclear weapons, and spoke on the phone to president obama who was unable to allay the deals. . >> in a decade it gis a regime the capacity to produce many nuclear bombs, in fact an arsenal, with the means to deliver it. what a stunning historic speak the president told binyamin netanyahu that it removes the spectre of a nuclear armed iran in the security interests of israel and the u.s. outside, most expressed support. vladimir putin released a statement saying "the world breathed a huge sigh of relief." he said the kremlin will do everything in his power to ensure the agreement weeks. >> iraqi prime minister haider al-abadi says it will be a

catalyst for security. saudi arabia offered a guarded response, the kingdom stressed the importance of strict nuclear inspections and the need to reinstate sanctions if iran fails to live up to its promises. >> iranian supporters say it will mean the end of decades of sanctions that will cripple the economy. hardliners see the agreement as bowing to we were demands. erica woods has more. >> in iran's capital all the papers are disappeared around negotiations. after years of sanctions people are hope to see an end to economic problems. >> every iranian will be happy,

they went through a lot. my special opinion it that i wish they had done this sooner so people wouldn't have to go through the difficulties. >> for sure it's a good feeling, removing the sanctions that put a lot of pressure on the country. maybe people would say everything is okay. you can see the effects on people. >> not everyones shares the positive approach. negotiations drag on for a reason. there are some in iran that take a harder line, considering the nuclear issue a matter of sovereignty, a right they should be able to pursue without outside interference. it's a political issue that hassan rouhani and his negotiating team had to handle carefully at home, and internationally. when he ran for the president in 2013, hassan rouhani vowed to negotiate an end to the sanctions that were hurting the iranian people. he also promised not to crumble in the face of western demand. there'll be a lot of discussion from inside iran, now the deal is done, it has support from the top. because as with any major political decision in iran, nothing goes ahead without the approval of the supreme leader,

ayatollah khamenei. >> there'll be scrutiny in iran about the deal. they'll stick to it because they see the deal - it's success. it's not something that is bad. it's iran traded transparency for sanction relief. and that trade is fair in general opinion in iran. >> it's a chief negotiator conceded this is not a perfect deal, but help the economy in the process. supporters view the agreement as a step towards peace with iran critics believe it glosses over the human rights record. the executive director of the international campaign for humans rights in iran joins us now.

good to have you with us. >> thank you. >> aside from hundreds of political prisoners, including three americans. iran had the second-high said of prisoners in the world, executing more juveniles. it's a big gaoler of journalists and blockers anywhere in the world, conducting secret trials of foreigners. still the human rights community believes that this deal is a good thing? >> yes, indeed antonio. the human rights community has been waiting for this day to come, because, indeed the lack of agreement is one of the reasons we have this human rights crisis in iran. indeed, the human rights situation in iran started to go on a downward spiral in 2003, when the nuclear crisis became the dominant issue. >> president hassan rouhani was a moderate and that did not improve matters. >> no, unfortunately hassan rouhani did nothing on improving

the human rights situation precisely because it's argued he has to esolve the situation first. >> you don't think that continuing the deal on human rights improvement would have been a good idea. >> not given the situation we were facing. now is the time for priority to human rights and the international community to support iranian people. they want the sanctions lived, the threat of war gone and international isolationeneded. all of those can provide conditions to promote human rights. >> what can the international community do? >> they can do a lot. for hassan rouhani's government this is the first step. iran is going to need a lot of investment. it's going to need lot of economic interactions and it

needs to fully reintegrate to world order, especially relations with europe. all of those can be conditioned on human rights. >> do you think all of that will lead to liberalization in iran. >> if there is support for the people in iran first and foremost the people in iran advocating for this. now they have the space to do so. we have supporters. are you one of those that thing the deal with lead not only to human rights in general, but to better relations. >> it has the potential. let me be clear. the deal by itself will lead to improves in human rights. it provide the environment where we can advocate for that where the government can be held accountable, and the international community has everage. we have this moment. it's a critical moment.

if we don't use the opportunity we have, there could be a backlash. it could get worse. the majority of people want improvement in relation to with the outside world. >> and the lifting of sanctions will help some people. let's hope you are right to be optimistic. >> thank you for the opportunity. >> coming up in the next half hour we'll join john seigenthaler - inside the deal. we'll look at the historical agreement, what it means for the u.s. iran and the world. ahead - a deadly down fall. torrential rain leads to flooding in the deep west and south, and the worst yet to come. also... >> crazy black and white patterns, we is no idea what it means. astronomers giddy over a new horizon's mission to pluto. we talk it a former commander of the u.s. space center.

>> i've been asked to keep my voice down cause we are so close to the isil position >> who is in charge, and are they going to be held to accout? >> but know we're following the research team into the fire >> they're learning how to practice democracy... >> ...just seen tear gas being thrown... >> ...glad sombody care about us man... >> several human workers were kidnapped... >> this is what's left of the hospital >> is a crime that's under reported... >> what do you think... >> we're making history right now... >> al jazeera america

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oh are my god. >> flash flooding washed away dozens of homes in kents, two have been killed since monday, after being caught in rushing water. six people are missing. several have been rescued after clinging to tree branches or trapped in their cars and homes. the waters are rising in some pleases. meteorologist kevin corriveau is tracking the storms and still some danger out there. >> absolutely. for the next couple of days. it's amazing the power of the water. first i'll take you over to illinois where we have video of flooding in the area. this is the river where the water was - rain was so heavy it burst its blanks, causing flooding. and indiana, the town hall saw 6 inches of rain and it's a big

issue. flood warns are still in effect across the region. we have seen many storm damage across the region 200,000 are without power. the good news is it looks like the ohio river valley will be cleared, but we expect severe whether to the north and in the dakotas we are getting a first look inside the tunnel used by el chapo, mexico's most wanted drug king pin when he escaped from a maximum security prison. the tunnel featured electrical wiring and pulley systems. $3.8 million is up for grabs leading to the recapture of el chapo. >> reporter: the morning mist envelopes the maximum security prison a reflection of the mystery of the escape of the

prized inmate. the world's most wanted drug lord joaquin guzman slipped out of his gaol. 16 months after the government paraded him as the biggest capture in the war against drugs. >> the interior minister left no doubt it was an inside job. >> he had to have had help from the staff or boss of the prison. if confirmed it will be a betrayal. health are rolling, among them that of the prison director. for a gaol break reminiscent of a hollywood movie. behind them the building where el chapo emerged from a $1.5km tunnel. he escaped in style. that tunnel was equipped with ventilation, tall enough for him to walk standing up in and had electric lighting. stereo it was a meticulously

planned operation. work started on the building that hid the tunnel a year ago. soon after melissa chan was locked up. >> they had a generator you could hear from the rod and see the lights from the wind. >> it's the second time he escaped prison. the first time was in a laundry basket. the mexican government refused, now their biggest surprise their biggest embarrassment. >> what el chapo's escaping does is shatters the illusion of pur. the government is not seen as a strong force playing down the rules seen as weak. that could have huge implications on the ground. >> reporter: the government launched a manhunt across the

country. there's no clues where el chapo is enjoying his newly found freedom. >> convicted murder are david zinc was put to death in missouri it was carried out by lethal injection. he was convicted of killing a 19-year-old woman he abducted after a car accident. he was the first person executed since the supreme court said lethal injections did not violate the constitution. >> the fate of james holmes is with a colorado jury charged with killing 12 in a ram page at a moie theatre. he pleaded not guilty by reason of in sapty. closing -- insanity. closing arguments wrapped up prosecutors say he act with clear intent. >> he came in with overwhelming

fire power. he brought with him 700 rounds, including steel-penetrating rounds and shot anything he could. >> defense experts warned that holmes was insane at the time of the shootings president obama will visit a federal prison on thursday becoming the first sitting president to do so. he'll meet with inmate and employees at a federal correction center. the visit comes as the president focuses an criminal justice reform. today in philadelphia he spoke as the n.a.a.c.p.'s convention about the need to fix a broken system. >> our nation is robbed of men and women who could be workers and taxpayers. could be more actively involved in their children's lives, could

be roll models community leaders, and are locked up for nonviolent offenses. monday 46 inmates had sentences reduced. convicted of nonviolent offenses. n.a.s.a. scientists and engineers celebrated as the new hozon's spacecraft sawed pust cuba. it shot past the dwarf planet at 7:49 eastern time, getting within 708 miles of pluto. it phoned home. sending messages confirming a fly buy. tarek has more from the mission and those keeping watch. >> reporter: n.a.s.a.'s new horizon probe was launched in 2006. it's taken since then over nine jeers and a journey of 5 billion kilometres to reach its goal. the spacecraft a few years back

went past through jupiter to get a little bit of gravity poll to increase the speed and was a good opportunity to test the equipment. we had nice images of jupiter. surprising images have been brought back. instead of gray, it appears to have a red and orange surface. >> we are seeing crazy black and white patterns we have no idea what it means. we see a lot of sickure lar things we wonder if it is crate cores or something else and certain feature on the moon that are not craters. we have you know in a few days. >> after flying past, new horizons will continue their journey. going to the edges of the solar

system, where they change from rock and gas to ice. and these objects. we find - we expect to find a little more evidence of the pristine material out of which the solar system was formed. >> radio signals from new hz jans take 24 hours to --"ons take 24 -- horizons take 24 hours to reach earth. the robe will travel deeper into an unexplored part of the solar system leroy chow is a former n.a.s.a. astronaut and international space station commander and joins us from texas. good to have you with us. what an incredible technological achievement, 3 billion miles over a decade. the atmosphere at mission control has been described as

similar to a new year's eve party, your reaction. >> it's fantastic, we've never done anything like this. nine years in the making, and an approach of 700 miles to get the images. speck tro trophic data. and mapping to tell us the - little bit more about the history of the planet. it's exciting. >> we expect to get the close-up images over the next few hours. what will we large from them. aside from you were just telling us. >> right, absolutely. this is the first time we had this close encounter with pluto, in addition to the fantastic visual images that the cameras will take we'll have temperature data mapping, chemical composition to see what it is made up of. there are mysterious dark spots,

and i think it will help us to understand our own planet and solar system. that information can - what do you think it could tell us about the solar system and galaxy. >> it will tell us about planets and pluto. we compare the compositions and geology. there's a lot of good signs to come out of this. it's exciting and the images are spectacular. >> more distant images held surprises. >> absolutely. the regular intervals of the dark spots. it's a mystery, there's a heart-shape thing that looks broken up. it's curious intriguing and we hope to shed more light. >> the mission started in 2006, before the debate over pluto's planetary status was resolved. did that affect the programme at

all? >> no, it didn't effect the programme. scientists were looking at the same objectives. i was gosh and grew up in the age where pluto was a planet. it's a planetary body either way you look at it. we'll learn a lot of great things. >> will the probe as it goes on into the further reaches of the solar system how much can we learn? >> it will transmit data, look at the probes. they were launched in the mid '70s. reached the limit of the solar system's sun, so, you know i expected this probe will transmit data long after its design life. >> it's exciting. >> former astronaut leroy chow good to have you with us. our coverage of the hist

rick deal with iran continues next. i join you with john seigenthaler. iran - inside the deal. that's after the break.

. >> it is a step away from the spectre of conflict and towards the possibility of peace. >> a shift in middle east politics the u.s. and world powers reach an historic dealing on iran's nuclear programme. the country limits nuclear capabilities in exchange for an end to crippling economic sanctions. iranians hopeful for the future. flood the streets in celebration. iran's neighbours are skeptical of their sworn enemy. >> what a stunning historic mistake. >> while the fight continues