Western leaders announced early Tuesday a historic deal had been reached with Iran to limit its nuclear capabilities in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions, after months of prolonged negotiations — a deal hailed by President Barack Obama as an “opportunity to move in a new direction” with a country long at odds with the U.S. “Today, because America negotiated from a position of strength and principle, we have stopped the spread of nuclear weapons in this region,” Obama said during an early morning address.