�It always seems impossible until it�s done�: the words of a man who made the impossible come true � Nelson Mandela � resonated with me on 14 July, when the seven countries around the table in Vienna, under the steer of the European Union, finally reached a deal on Iran�s nuclear programme. After decades of tensions and distrust, 12 years of hope and fear and 22 months of intense, difficult, highly technical and political negotiations, we had finally made it. Will this turn a page in Iran�s relations with the rest of the world? Commentators are divided and the debate is still heated. I understand the reasons behind the scepticism. But I believe a new chapter really is about to be opened.

Change will not happen overnight, and maybe not even in the next few months. It will take time. It will take strong political will, vision and a lot of hard work. It will take courage, and even audacity � the very same ingredients required to reach a deal. It worked. We should be confident that the same strong determination can build a different regional framework, one based on cooperation rather than confrontation.

The heart-warming images of the young people of Iran celebrating in the streets give us good reason to be hopeful; we saw an outpouring of joy at what had just happened, mixed with the expectation of a better tomorrow. They served as a reminder that this deal is also an investment in the generations that are celebrating a different future.

We know that there is still some anxiety, in the region and beyond. But if the talks took such a long time, if they were so tough, it is precisely because we wanted and needed a strong agreement � one that could stand up to scrutiny everywhere, and through time.

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